MADISON, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham men's basketball used a hot-shooting first half and stellar second-half defense to hold off Drew University 65-63 in the annual Battle of Madison Avenue on Tuesday night.

Freshman point guard Jayson Hughes led the Devils with 16 points and four assists on 5-of-8 shooting, while sophomore guard Steve Herdman added 15 points on the night. The duo combined to knock down eight of their 16 shots from behind the arc.

Hughes had the touch from the opening tip. The first-year guard connected on four of his first five shots from long range as the Devils opened up a 27-15 lead midway through the opening stanza. Making his first start of the season, James Moran contributed with five points including a 3-pointer.

As a team, the Devils shot a blistering 52.9 percent from long range (9-of-17) and posted a 43.3 percent clip overall, while limiting the Rangers to 27.8 percent. Tyler Christie capped the opening-half scoring with a resounding two-handed, breakaway slam, which brought the Florham Campus fans to their feet as the Devils rode their hot shooting to a 36-24 halftime lead.

With the Devils in front 49-37, the Rangers used a 19-5 run to pull within four with 7:40 to go. The Rangers' run was highlighted by a corner trey by Brian Oehme, which forced an FDU-Florham timeout.

Both teams grinded out possession after possession before the Rangers moved in front on a 3-pointer from Kevin Herring II, 63-61, with 2:15 to play.

After he split a pair at the line, Hughes penetrated into the lane and kicked the ball out to Leohner, who promptly buried a corner 3-pointer, which gave the Devils a 65-63 edge and proved to be the game-winner.

The defense did the rest for the Devils as they came up with three-straight stops to prevent the Rangers from scoring again. On the final possession, the Rangers missed a go-ahead 3-pointer and a desperation putback as Leohner leapt up and corralled the game-clinching rebound as he fell to the floor.

The Devils managed to overcome a dismal performance from the line, in which they missed their final four free throws and clanked 12 of 17 (29.4%) overall.  The 3-point shot also proved crucial for the Devils, who buried 12 treys to just six by the Rangers.

FDU-Florham returns to action this Saturday, December 12 when they travel up to Wayne, N.J. to take on William Paterson University.