CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University men's basketball team suffered a hard-fought loss to DeSales University in a Middle Atlantic Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.

The Devils fall to 6-15 on the season and 3-7 in the conference as DeSales improved to 15-6 and 7-3 in the MAC Freedom.

FDU-Florham put up a solid effort, going on a 10-0 run in the first half to gain a 19-16 lead after trailing behind by seven as sophomore Anthony Mitchell sunk one from behind the arc followed by a good layup by senior Donte Ali who then converted on a free throw, only to net another layup just seconds later. A jumper from sophomore Darren Davy moved the Devils to 19 points with 11:44 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs covered some ground though, but another three from Mitchell followed by Davy who converted on a jumper put the Devils up by five.

With Devils only up by two, DeSales' Brian Laird opened the second half with a three-pointer that sparked a pattern of changing leads between both squads in an evenly matched second half.

The Devils found themselves up by five once again with 11:22 left in the contest, but a three-pointer from Connor Jones shifted the momentum in favor of the Bulldogs who went on an 8-0 run to retake the lead for the final time and secure the eventual win.

Mitchell led the Devils with a game-high 21 points including five steals and four rebounds. Ali worked the court, notching 14 points and grabbing seven boards while Davy finished the night going 5-for-7 with 10 points, six rebounds and two steals.

FDU-Florham returns home to take on Eastern University on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. in the Ferguson Recreation Center.