MADISON, N.J. – The No. 14 Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham women's basketball team won its MAC Freedom opener by the score of 62-54 over Misericordia University on Wednesday night at the Ferguson Recreation Center.

Junior center Rachel Groom led the way for the Devils (5-1, 1-0 MAC Freedom) with a career-high 26 points. Groom connected on 12 of her 22 shots and grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

The Devils outscored the Cougars (3-3, 0-1 MAC Freedom) 36-14 in the opening half and limited them to just 20 percent shooting on six made baskets.

In addition, the Devils' tenacious defense forced the Cougars into 25 turnovers, which resulted in 23 points at the other end of the floor.

Out of the gates, senior forward Shalette Brown sparked the Devils with six points and seven rebounds in the first period as the home team opened up a 14-7 advantage.  Brown finished with 17 points, 14 boards, three blocks and steals on the night.

The Devils closed the first half on a 13-0 run as Groom scored eight points during that stretch, while Danielle Gehring and Caroline Gehring chipped in with a bucket each.

After trailing by 22 at the break, the Cougars rallied to outscore the Devils in each of the final two periods but were unable to get closer than the eight-point final.

Junior forward Justine Seely paced the Cougars with 16 points and 13 rebounds and did an excellent job defensively with seven blocked shots.

The Devils return to action with another MAC Freedom contest this Saturday, December 5 against King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. at 1 p.m.