MADISON, N.J. (January 23, 2019) - The FDU-Florham men's basketball team was bested by Manhattanville 81-69 in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom action Wednesday evening.
FDU drops to 4-14, 1-6 within the conference, while improves to 8-10 and 2-5 within the MAC Freedom.
The Devils scored the first bucket of the night on a layup by senior
Darren Davy on their first possession of the night. The teams continued to trade baskets until with the score tied at 10, The Devils broke out a 10-3 run including threes from juniors
Kenneth LaRocca and
Andy Fleurantin. Following a full timeout by Manhattanville, the Devils rattled off an 11-4 run to push it to 31-19 with 6:44 remaining in the half.
After a basket by the Valiants, a three by sophomore
Shawn Smith gave the Devils their largest lead of the half at 34-21. Manhattanville responded with an 8-0 run of their own to make it 34-29 with just under three minutes remaining in the half. Senior
Anthony Mitchell led all scorers at the half with 13 points.
Manhattanville started the second half on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 39 with 17:58 remaining. Following a full timeout by FDU, Fleurantin was able to get a wide-open layup to reclaim the lead. The Valiants responded by going on a 9-3 run with all the points being scored via the three ball, to give them the lead at 48-44.
Manhattanville would extend the lead to six at 52-46, but the Devils responded with a 10-3 run capped off by an and-one by Smith, to retake the lead at 56-55 with 11:07 left in regulation. The Valiants would embark on a 20-7 run down the stretch to give them their largest lead of the night at 77-63, sealing the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Marks the seventh time this season that the Devils had four players finish with double-digit points. (Mitchell 18, Fleurantin 12, Smith 11, Davy 10)
- LaRocca set a new career high with 10 rebounds, falling just three points shy of his first double-double.
- The Devils defense limited the Valiants Sean Smith Jr, the second leading scorer in the conference to 11 points.
- Sophomore Niko Regus tallied four points and a steal in four minutes off the bench.
UP NEXT
The Devils will continue MAC Freedom play on Saturday January 26, at 3:00 p.m. against Misericordia University. The Devils defeated the Cougars 72-61 at home on December 8th and look to sweep the regular season series.
