Madison, NJ (January 22) - The FDU Men's Basketball team took control in the second half and earned their first MAC Freedom Conference win of the season over Lebanon Valley!
Carson Woods (Phoenix, AZ.) led the Devils in scoring with 17 points and 4 rebounds! Following Woods was Jaqwan Washington (Bryan, TX) with 13 points and Christopher Smith (Florham Park, NJ) with 9!
The Flying Dutchman opened the first half with a 10-point unanswered run against the Devils. Smith got FDU on the board with a successful layup at the 14:23 minute mark. The Devils were able to gain more offensive possession, with baskets coming from Amir Williams (Bronx, NY), Mac Creek (Louisville, KY.), and Noah Pagan (Ringwood, NJ). This run brought the score to a tight Lebanon Valley lead, 17-15, with just 6:45 left on the clock. The Flying Dutchman kept a steady advantage, but with 2:02 remaining in the half, FDU kept the score close with Devils 3-pointers from James Zingaro (Stratford, NJ) and Ethan Klueh (Orlando, FL.). Woods and Williams scored the final baskets for the Devils during the first half, bringing the score to 28-25, with the Dutchman remaining in the lead.
In the second half, The Devils continued their late first half momentum and opened with a 3-pointer made by Francis Denvir (Holland Township, N.J.), taking the score to an even 28-28. The Devils were able to take the lead for the first time at the 15:13 time stamp when Woods banked in a 3-pointer. With 10:16 on the clock, a dunk from first-year Adam Ziegler (West Grove, PA) turned up the heat for the Devils. FDU drove to the basket to push the score to 56-51, with points coming from Pagan, Washington, Smith, and Williams. The Devils kept up with this pace, extending their lead to 10 points with 1:26 remaining of gameplay, 65-55. The Flying Dutchman fought hard to reclaim the lead, but the Devils held strong until the final buzzer. The Devils ended on top with a score of 72-64, earning their first MAC Conference win of the season!
As a team, FDU-Florham shot 43.8 percent (21-48) from the floor, 33.3 percent (8-24) from three-point range, and 64.7 percent (22-34) from the free throw line. They totaled 18 points in the paint, 49 off the bench, and 10 off turnovers.
Lebanon Valley shot 33.3 percent (20-60) from the floor, 36.4 percent (8-22) from three-point range, and 66.7 percent (16-24) from the free throw line. They totaled 18 points in the paint, 7 off the bench, and 5 off turnovers.
FDU-Florham will continue home as they face Stevens for their Morgan's Message Dedication game on Saturday, January 25th. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
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