Madison, NJ (November 16) – The FDU-Florham men's basketball team (0-4) fell to Rutgers-Newark University (1-2) in non-conference action, 56-53, tonight in the Ferguson Recreation Center.
The Devils were led by sophomore
Jamal Santana (Randolph, NJ) with 13 points, while junior
Matthew Johnson (Oak Ridge, NJ) registered 11 points and three boards. Rutgers-Newark was guided by Tony Godwin, who posted 17 points and four rebounds, while Tyrone Bowens chipped in with 14 points and three boards on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor.
Rutgers-Newark jumped out to an 18-6 advantage just over eight minutes into tonight's matchup. FDU-Florham answered with a 15-6 run of its own to cut the deficit to just three points at 24-21 with five minutes to play in the first half. The run was sparked by
Carson Woods (Phoenix, Ariz.), who registered six points over the stretch.
The Scarlet Raiders, however, put together another run and pushed their lead back to double digits at 33-23 following a layup from Bowens before the took a seven point advantage into the break, 33-26.
In the second half, FDU-Florham fought from a ten point deficit on multiple occasions to cut it to a four point game at 50-46 following a quick run that was capped by a jumper from Johnson. With less than a minute to play and trailing by eight, the Devils used a three point play from Johnson and a jumper in by
Joseph Carney (Garwood, NJ) to make it a three point game at 56-53 with 30 ticks left on the clock. Rutgers-Newark missed both free throws and set FDU-Florham up for a chance to tie the game, but a three by
James Zingaro (Stratford, NJ) came up just short at the buzzer.
As a team, FDU-Florham shot 41.5-percent (17-for-41) from the floor, 23.1-percent (3-for-13) from three point range and 61.5-percent (16-for-26) from the free throw line. The Devils posted 26 of their 53 points from in the paint and converted for 17 points off of turnovers. Rutgers-Newark shot 45.1-percent (23-for-51) from the floor, 27.8-percent (5-for-18) from three point range and 27.8-percent (5-for-18) from the free throw line. The Scarlet Raiders posted 34 points in the paint, 21 points off the bench and 14 points off of turnovers.
FDU-Florham will look for its first win of the 2022-23 season on Friday, November 18 when the Devils host Baruch College at 7:00 pm in the Ferguson Recreation Center.
For the latest on FDU-Florham Athletics, follow the Devils via social media (@FDUDevils) on
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FDU-Florham is currently running a campaign in honor of former Devils men's basketball head coach, men's golf coach and athletic director Roger Kindel.
All donations will go directly towards funding a complete renovation of the basketball and volleyball court inside the Ferguson Recreation Center with his name dawned on both sides. If you are interested in reading more about the campaign and/or making a donation to the cause, please follow the link here: https://support.fdu.edu/athletics/devils/giving/roger-kindel
