Head Coach Marc Mitchell and Alyssa McDonough's Postgame Interview
 
MADISON, N.J. – For the third-straight season, the FDU-Florham women's basketball team has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In front of a raucous Ferguson Recreation Center crowd, the Devils topped Eastern University 76-66 in the Freedom Conference Championship Game to claim their third conference title in a row.

The Devils (26-1) now await Monday afternoon's NCAA Selection Show to find out who and where they will be playing as they look to defend their 2014 National Championship.

The Eagles (22-5), who had won 12 straight entering today's game, will also be watching "Selection Monday" intently to find out if they have earned one of the tournament's 20 at-large bids.

FDU-Florham senior forward Kyra Dayon (Trenton, N.J.) took home Freedom Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after tossing in a game-high 19 points. The three-time All-Freedom Conference First Team selection played 39 minutes but never tired, adding six rebounds and four steals to her ledger in the victory.

In the first half, Eastern did an excellent job of protecting the painted area and forcing the Devils to settle for outside shots. Using their size advantage, All-Freedom Conference first teamers Meghan Nowak and Emily Lavin frustrated the Devils by clogging the paint, which resulted in a 28.2 percent first-half shooting performance by the home team.

Meanwhile, the Eagles ran efficient offense and connected on 55.6 percent of their shots in the opening stanza, led by All-Freedom Conference Second Team member Gina DiDomenico's 15 first-half points.

The Eagles carried their largest lead of the game – 11 points – into the halftime break with a 38-27 lead. But FDU-Florham came out of the second half charged up and ready for action.

The Devils stormed out of the locker room with a 24-7 run. Dayon and sophomore guard Alyssa McDonough (Parlin, N.J.) ignited the effort by scoring 15 points over that stretch.

With star junior forward and All-Freedom Conference first teamer Shalette Brown (Somerset, N.J.) in foul trouble, seniors Quaneshia Harris (Trenton, N.J.) and Delisha Thompson (East Orange, N.J.) picked up the slack and provided tremendous energy off of the bench for the Devils. Following that game-changing run, the Devils were in front 51-45 with 10:18 to play.

Less than a minute later, the Devils displayed their championship tenacity with a ferocious rebounding display. It started with a missed jumper by Leigh-Ann Lively (Bangor, Pa.) and five offensive rebounds later concluded with a lay-in by Thompson. Thompson grabbed three misses, Lively snagged one, and 5'3" guard Alicia Cox (Vineland, N.J.) clasped another during the Devils' marathon offensive possession. The home team was relentless on the offensive glass and corralled 12 offensive boards in the second half alone.

From that point on it was all Devils led by McDonough, who scored all 16 of her points in the final 20 minutes of action. The second-year guard continuously used her creative ball handling to wiggle her way into the lane and evade Nowak and the other Eagles' bigs.

Once the final horn had sounded, the Devils had outscored the Eagles 49-28 in the second half.

McDonough added five assists and four rebounds to her 16-point effort, while Thompson and Lively chipped in with nine points apiece.

For the Eagles, Freedom ConferenceCo-Rookie of the Year Taylor Price netted a team-best 18 points, Nowak double-doubled with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and DiDomenico scored 15 tallies.

FDU-Florham has now won three Freedom Conference Championships in its five tournament appearances.