MADISON, N.J. (February 3, 2017) – The FDU women's basketball team earned a hard-fought 84-81 victory over DeSales Saturday afternoon.

FDU moves to 18-3, 9-1 in the MAC Freedom, while DeSales dropped to 16-5, 8-2 in the MAC Freedom.

The Devils surrendered the opening four points of the contest before senior Alyssa McDonough hit a layup and converted the free throw after being fouled to put the Devils on the board. A Bulldogs layup with 48 seconds left in the opening quarter gave DSU their biggest lead at seven, but freshman Kendrea Williams hit from beyond the arc for the second time cutting the gap to four.

FDU used the Williams trey to start a 14-2 run to bridge the first and second quarters, limiting DSU to one field goal over the first four minutes of play in the second. Senior Rachel Groom, who only had four points in the first period, exploded for 12 of the Devils 25 tallies in the frame.

Groom led all scorers in the opening half with 16 points, while McDonough was right behind her with 13 points and seven rebounds. The Devils shot a staggering 15-of-16 from the charity stripe, good for 93.8 percent. FDU also held a 22-12 edge on the glass.

The visitors used a 7-1 spurt to begin the third quarter, extending the lead to 13 at one point. Megan Baird scored nine points in the third to get DeSales back to an eight-point deficit at 61-53, but freshman Cayla Staggers hit a free throw and Williams sunk a pair to reconstruct an 11-point lead heading into the final quarter.

DeSales went ahead by two with 4:12 remaining on a trey from Kaitlin Kelly, and after FDU tied the score, Kelly hit another corner three giving the hosts another lead. After the Devils got within one, Morgan McCollian hit a layup and drew the foul but missed the ensuing free throw.

Williams hit a layup to get within a point again with a mere 26.5 seconds left. DSU made one of two from the charity but the senior McDonough hit a layup, drew the foul and drilled the free-throw putting FDU up one with 13.8 left. The Parlin, N.J. native intercepted a pass on the defensive end and hit two free throws giving the guests a three-point lead. The Bulldogs had a chance to tie, but a three at the buzzer just missed the mark.

McDonough filled the stat sheet with 26 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Groom had 22 points and 10 boards. Williams added 21 points while sophomore Kayla Croswell had a career-best 13 rebounds.

The Devils are back in action Wednesday, welcoming Eastern to campus at 6 p.m.