WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (January 11, 2017) -- Trailing by 13 points near the end of the first half, the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team clawed its way back with a resilient effort to earn a 77-71 triumph over King's College (Pa.) in a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom matchup on Wednesday night. 

The comeback pushed the Devils to 5-9 on the season and 2-1 in the MAC Freedom as the Monarchs fell to 4-9 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

FDU-Florham was led by a determined effort from sophomores Darren Davy and Anthony Mitchell. Davy played a huge role for the Devils, notching a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while garnering three steals. Mitchell knocked in a game-high 23 points, including three from behind the arc and recorded seven assists in the night. 

Both squads were neck and neck for the majority of the first half, but the Monarchs pounced on a few Devil turnovers and went on a scoring streak to extend their lead to 39-28 at the half. 

Still, the Devils never let down. Junior Steve Herdman opened the second with a layup and Davy scored three consecutive times to put FDU-Florham back within reach. 

The tides turned as the Devils took the momentum and ran with it. After senior Donte Ali netted two from the charity stripe and Davy added another layup, it was Mitchell who heated things up.

The sophomore converted on a jumper and then sunk a pivotal three-pointer to tie the game at 45 each with 12:53 remaining. 

King's continued to hustle though and regained the lead until freshman Rajaan Dixon sunk the go-ahead shot from behind the arc to put FDU-Florham up 49-47 with just over 10 minutes to go. 

Despite even attacking from both sides, the Devils were able to hold on thanks to four blocks from Ali and composed shooting from the free-throw line.

FDU-Florham's second-half jolt recorded a 62.50 shooting percentage compared to Monarch's 37.04 percent. 

Sophomore Derek Leohner finished the night with 10 points of his own, including seven rebounds and four assists.

The Monarchs were led by Dan Rutecki who put up 19 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. 

Up next, the Devils return home to host conference foe DeSales University on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. in the Ferguson Recreation Center.