New York City, NY (November 24)- FDU Men's Basketball defeated Wells College in game two of the NYU Tip-off Tournament by the score of 84-80. With the win, the Devils improve to 3-3 on the season while the Express drop to 0-7.

FIRST HALF
The first 20 minutes of play was back and forth action with 4 total lead changes in the first half. Wells took their largest lead of the half at 6, with 2:00 minutes remaining. FDU would charge back, thanks to Senior Kenneth LaRocca knocking down a three and Senior Andy Fleurantin driving the lane for two. With 1:03 remaining in the half, Junior Shawn Smith would complete the 8-0 Devils run, giving FDU a 35-33 lead. Two Express free throws would bring the halftime score to 35-35.

Smith led all Devils in scoring with 11 points. LaRocca finished the half with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Junior Oliver Ortman and Fleurantin each added 7. Fleurantin also finished with 5 assists. FDU hit 6 three-pointers which accounted for 50% of their first half points.

SECOND HALF
It was much of the same in the first 8 minutes of the second half, as both teams grabbed the lead two times each before the 12-minute mark. The Devils would grab the momentum with a 12-0 run thanks to three-pointers from Junior Cameron Saintil and Freshman Andrew Schulz. Wells wasn't done yet, roaring back with a 13-2 run of their own to tie the game, 61-61 at the 6:15 mark. After more back and forth play, FDU would secure a 73-68 lead thanks to 5 points from Ortman during a 7-0 Devils run. Wells would continue to fight, but the Devils had every answer. Six total free throws in the final minute helped finish the game for FDU 84-80. 

BOX SCORE
Ortman led all Devils with 18 points. Smith filled out the stat sheet with 16 points, 5 assists and 5 boards. Fleurantin had a stellar day contributing 17 points and 7 assists while senior counterpart LaRocca finished with 15 points, including the game clinching free throw.

D-FENSE TO O-FENSE
The Devils press was a problem for Wells all day forcing 18 turnovers and 21 points off of turnovers. FDU also finished the game with 8 steals.

COACHES THOUGHTS
"I'm proud of how resilient we were this afternoon. A lot of credit to Wells who kept coming and coming at us. We weathered every run they made and had several guys make big shots and plays down the stretch". – Head Coach Jeff Slanovec

NEXT UP
FDU travels across the street to Drew University on Tuesday, November 26 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.