CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (January 30, 2019) - Senior
Darren Davy poured in 24 points, but the FDU-Florham men's basketball team was upended by host DeSales University 77-72 Wednesday evening.
The Devils fall to 4-16, 1-8 within the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom. The Bulldogs improve to 15-5, 8-1 in the MAC Freedom.
Despite falling behind 13-5 early on, Davy tallied four straight to start a 6-0 spurt to bring the game down to a two-point deficit. With the lead back to five, sophomore
Shawn Smith and senior
Tyler Christie combined for five straight to level the contest at 18 with 11:39 left in the opening period.
Christie converted a layup on a fast-break four minutes later to give the Devils their first lead of the evening at 29-27. The lead changed hands multiple times during the middle portion of the period, but FDU was able to outscore DeSales 8-4 over the final 6:12 of the stanza, entering halftime with a two-point lead.
The Devils shot a blistering 18-of-27 (66.7%) from the field in the opening 20 minutes and forced eight Bulldog turnovers. Davy was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field while hauling in four rebounds.
FDU opened with the first bucket of the second half, but DeSales embarked on a 7-0 run before a triple from sophomore
Oliver Ortman evened the game at 45. The three kick-started a 9-2 rally by the visitors, finished off with a Davy layup. The Bulldogs pulled in front for good, with the lead swelling to double digits for the first time with 6:10 left in the second period.
Down nine with 2:33 remaining, Smith canned five straight points in 21 seconds, trimming the gap to 73-69. After a layup and a free throw, Ortman drilled a trey off a Smith pass with 41 seconds remaining to get within four again, but the Devils were unable to get any closer.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Davy was one point of his previous season-high set against Drew on November 13. The senior also pulled down nine rebounds.
- FDU held a slim 27-26 edge in rebounding, including six on the offensive glass. The 26 rebounds allowed were a season-low.
- Smith finished with 14 points and a season-high eight assists, while chipping in three thefts.
- The Devils a season-high 58.2% (32-of-55) from the field, eclipsing their previous best of 50.8% against Stevens on November 20.
UP NEXT
The Devils welcome King's College to the Ferguson Recreation Center Saturday afternoon, hosting the Monarchs at 3 p.m.