MADISON, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham men's basketball team was defeated by the DeSales University Bulldogs 84-61 in a MAC Freedom game on Saturday afternoon at the Ferguson Recreation Center.

Junior forward Donte Ali led the charge for the Devils (4-11, 2-2 MAC Freedom) with his second 20-point performance and fifth double-double of the season as he finished the game with 21 points and 12 boards. Despite Ali's brilliant effort though, the Devils struggled to contain a Bulldogs' (11-4, 3-1 MAC Freedom) team that shot around a 48 percent clip from the field and scored nearly half of their total points in the painted area.

Ali wasted no time getting things going on the offensive end. Five minutes into action, freshman guard Steve Herdman sent a pass over to Ali and he exploded off of the floor and slammed the ball in for the score. On the very next Devils' possession, Ali rattled the rim again with a big dunk, but this time off of a stellar behind-the-back assist from Jayson Hughes to cap off a 9-2 run.

The first half was highlighted by the junior forward for DeSales, Ryan Callahan, who at a towering height was able to effectively score down low in the painted area on a bevy of different looks. He shot 8-of-9 from the field for the game for a team-high 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, with the Devils' in foul trouble early, sophomore forward James Moran stepped onto the floor and pieced together a strong performance, going for a career-high 14 points and six boards.

With less than five minutes remaining in the half, Hughes alongside fellow freshman guard Derek Leohner knocked down a trio of 3-point shots to help the Devils go on an 11-1 run that gave them a six-point lead. However, the Bulldogs responded by closing out the opening stanza on a 9-2 run to retake the lead.

In the second half, the Bulldogs' offense began to operate at an efficient rate as they shot 61 percent as a team and after an early 14-5 run, they saw their lead grow to 10.

The Devils failed to put a big dent into the Bulldogs' lead despite back-to-back 3-point makes from Herdman and Leohner just under the midway point of the half.

Brian Laird and Brandon Bridy combined for 21 second half points for DeSales to help ward off the Devils attack late in the game and the Bulldogs went on to seal the victory.

The Devils will be back in action on Wednesday, January 20 for a MAC Freedom showdown with the Delaware Valley University Aggies at 8 p.m.