BOX SCORE

Madison, NJ (February 19, 2011) – FDU-Florham got 39 points from two of its three seniors on senior day, upsetting the DeSales University men's basketball team, 74-70, in Freedom Conference action on Saturday afternoon setting up the final seedings for the Freedom Conference playoffs next week.

The Bulldogs (18-7, 9-5 Freedom) finish the regular season tied for first with Delaware Valley College as co-regular season champions, but will enter the post-season as the #2 seed as the Aggies earn the #1 seed because of its regular season sweep of Wilkes University.

Delaware Valley will host the Colonels of Wilkes University in one semifinal on Wednesday, while the Bulldogs will host Misericordia University in the other semifinal. Tip in Billera Hall will be at 8:00 pm, following the women's semifinal game prior at 6:00 pm.

Senior Brian Hunter was the only double digit scorer for DeSales, finishing with 22 points and five assists. Senior Tom Marshall and sophomore Greg Peters both gave strong efforts off the bench as Marshall totaled nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while Peters tallied nine points, all in the first half.

Sophomore Brett Moyer was held to nine points and seven rebounds in just 17 minutes of action before fouling out. Freshman Drew Wilcox gave the Bulldogs some good minutes off the bench in the second half, hitting a three late to tie the game at 63.

Senior Danny Ciprut had a career-game on Saturday, finishing with 20 points and six rebounds to lead the Devils. Ciprut entered the game having scored just two points all season in 11 games played. Fellow senior Ricky Fetske finished with a double-double, 19 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Adam Katz added 17 points and eight assists, with no turnovers in the win.

Ciprut started the game off strong, scoring the first four points as the Devils took an early 6-0 lead. Eight straight points after a tie at 8-all, gave the hosts a 16-8 lead, but DeSales responded with 10 straight points of its own, five by Hunter to take its first lead, 18-16, with 8:50 left in the opening half.

The two teams battled back and forth over the final eight minutes of the first half and after the fifth tie of the opening twenty minutes with 1:57 left, two foul shots from Marshall with six seconds left gave DSU a 34-32 lead entering the locker room.

The second half started off just as the first half ended with both teams exchanging baskets and neither team taking control. FDU clung to a one-point lead (51-50) at the 9:51 mark when the Devils used an 11-2 run that included three treys over the Bulldogs zone, giving the home team a 62-52 lead with 7:14 left to play.

The Bulldogs responded though, going with a small lineup that rallied with an 11-1 run to tie the game at 63. Hunter started the spurt with a three-point play and a pull-up three in transition and Wilcox tied the game with his lone three of the game at the 4:56 mark.

From that point, the Bulldogs couldn't stop Ciprut as he scored the next seven FDU points, giving the Devils a 70-67 lead with 1:09 remaining. Out of a DSU timeout, Marshall launched a three from the left corner that hit back iron and a Moyer put-back was off the mark with the Bulldogs fouling the rebounder.

After a missed front end of a one-and-one, Hunter drove the lane and was grabbed on his way to the basket, but he was only able to make 1-of-2 freebies and the Devils made 4-of-4 from the line over the final 23 seconds icing the game.

The Bulldogs will be making their 10th appearance in the Freedom Conference playoffs.  It will be the second time DSU takes on Misericordia University, a rematch of last year's title game won by DeSales, 69-61.