MADISON, N.J. – Senior forward Shalette Brown continued her ascent into the Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham record books but the Devils were unable to take down DeSales University, falling 74-51 on Saturday afternoon at the Ferguson Recreation Center.
In the loss, Brown, who earlier this week became the program's 15th member of the 1,000-point club, finished with nine points and eight rebounds and now has 840 career boards, which is third most in school history. The senior forward has accomplished her record-breaking numbers in just three seasons in Madison.
The Devils (10-5, 2-2 MAC Freedom) were unable to find the touch on Saturday as the Bulldogs (11-4, 4-0 MAC Freedom) won their seventh straight contest to remain unbeaten in conference play.
Junior guard Alyssa McDonough led the Devils with 16 points and five assists, while freshman forward Fernanda Reyes also poured in 16 points, which is a career-high.
Morgan McCollian used her low-post game to score a game-best 22 points for the Bulldogs and grabbed 10 rebounds to register a double-double. McCollian's work around the basket led to a 36-12 points in the paint advantage for DeSales.
The Devils scuffled offensively from the outset and watched as the Bulldogs ran out to a 16-4 lead. Over that span, the Devils connected on just two of their 15 shots, while DeSales was red-hot, converting 7-of-11 from the floor.
Reyes displayed her 3-point prowess by burying a trey late in the first quarter but the Devils trailed 16-8 through one period of action. The first-year forward scored 12 of her 16 points via the long ball and finished 4-for-9 from long range on the afternoon.
After a McDonough jumper briefly cut the deficit down to six, the Bulldogs stretched their lead, en route to a 33-20 halftime advantage. When the horn sounded for intermission, the Devils had just seven made baskets and posted a 24.1 percent shooting clip, while the Bulldogs knocked down 45 percent of their chances.
The shooting disparity immediately continued out of the locker room as Jen Napolitano buried a 3-pointer for DeSales, which spurred a 9-1 surge and built the lead to 42-21. Napolitano finished with 20 points on 50 percent shooting, including four 3-pointers as the Bulldogs knocked down half of their shots in the second stanza.
With 1:41 to go in the third quarter, Nicole Umberhauer gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game at 24 points.
The Devils were able to build some momentum in the fourth as Reyes connected twice from downtown, while Mariah Martinez provided a spark off of the bench with a trey. But after the home team closed to within 14 points, 65-51, the Bulldogs tallied the final nine points of the game to seal the victory.
FDU-Florham returns to action this Wednesday, January 20 when they host Delaware Valley University at 6 p.m.
