With the loss, the Devils dropped to 6-3.
FDU built a 43-30 halftime lead thanks to 69.2 percent shooting from the field, the Devils started the game making 14 of their first 16 shots. Sophomore guard Ryan McPherson (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) had 14 points in the half while senior center Brian Rimol (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) chipped in 10 points.
After a Rimol layup to give the Devils the 58-39 lead, the Hawks responded with a 20-5 run to cut the deficit to 63-59 with 6:59 left to play in the game. Hunter then tied the game, 66-66, on a layup by sophomore forward Lance Evans (Brooklyn, NY) with 3:32 remaining. The Devils re-took the lead, 68-66, on two free throws by McPherson with 1:31 left but Hunter came down and took the lead, 69-68, on a three pointer by junior forward Chris Garrick (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay). FDU came down and got the lead back, 70-69, with 0:44 left to play on a jumper in the paint by senior forward Pierre Schmitt (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge). Garrick led the Hawks back down the floor and got a layup to put Hunter ahead for good, 71-70, with 0:33 left.
FDU turned the ball over on their next possession but Hunter only hit one of two foul shots for a 72-70 lead with 0:24 remaining. The Devils turned the ball over again, one of 31 on the night, and Ciarleglio hit two free throws to seal the win.
“I think any time you turn the ball over 31 times and shoot 15-for-28 from the foul line, you aren’t going to win at any level of basketball,” said assistant coach Bill Zotti. “It’s disappointing that we didn’t step up and make the plays we needed to make when the pressure was turned up. Hopefully, we can learn from this experience and come back strong on Wednesday.”
Evans finished with 19 points and six rebounds for Hunter while McPherson finished with 20 points and six boards for FDU. Rimol had 16 points and six rebounds, Schmitt had 11 points and five rebounds, senior guard Frank Emslie (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) had 11 points and senior guard Brian Dillon (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) and sophomore forward Andrew Biancosino (Edison, NJ/JP Stevens) tied for a game-high nine rebounds.
The Devils return to action on Wednesday, December 13, at home against William Paterson beginning at 7 pm.