LANGHORNE, Pa. (November 29, 2018) - The FDU-Florham men's basketball team was topped by Cairn University 84-75 Thursday evening.

FDU fell to 2-6 on the season with the setback.

The Devils jumped out to an early 3-2 lead, courtesy of a three-point bucket from junior Andy Fleurantin, but Cairn countered with a 6-0 spurt to take the edge for good. Sophomore Shawn Smith sunk a pair from the charity stripe to get within one point midway through the opening stanza, but neither side was able to pull in front by more than six over the first 10 minutes.

After the Highlanders extended the gap to seven, the Devils defense limited Cairn to no points over the next four minutes. Senior Anthony Mitchell hit a fast-break layup to pull within four with 2:32 left in the half, however the hosts countered with a 6-0 run to end the first half.

A 6-0 run five minutes into the second stanza by Cairn made the score 53-37. Fleurantin stopped the run with a trey and a jumper by Tino Gonzalez cut the deficit to just 11 with 14:57 remaining. The Highlanders picked up their biggest lead of the evening with 10:17 left in the second half, as Richard Rosas knocked down a three to go in front by 20 at 67-47.

The Devils made their move, going on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes to claw back into the game. After four  Highlander free throws, FDU again went on a big scoring spree, this time using a 14-3 run to shrink the lead to 71-67. Junior Rajaan Dixon made it a one possession contest with just under three minutes left, hitting a three off a Smith feed. FDU was unable to get any closer, with Cairn hitting five free throws down the stretch to close out the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Dixon notched his third double-double of the season, totaling 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• Fleurantin poured in a career-high 20 points, and matched his career-best of four three-pointers. The junior also converted eight field goals, the most this season,
• Smith totaled 18 points, four more than his previous best set against Vassar on Monday.
• Gonzalez and sophomore Niko Regus each made their FDU debuts, with Regus pulling down a rebound.
• The team shot a season-best 87.5% from the free-throw line, with Mitchell going a perfect 4-for-4.
• The 75 points were the most scored in a game by the Devils this season.

UP NEXT
The Devils begin conference play next Wednesday, hosting DeSales University at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs won both matchups last season. FDU last topped DeSales on January 14, 2017, winning 74-67 inside the Ferguson Recreation Center. Senior Darren Davy and Dixon combined for 26 points in that victory.