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Moravian Comes Back in Second Half to Defeat FDU-Florham

Junior guard Nate Dougherty shoots a short jumper in the second half versus FDU-Florham in Johnston Hall. Photo by Mairi West '23
Junior guard Nate Dougherty shoots a short jumper in the second half versus FDU-Florham in Johnston Hall. Photo by Mairi West '23

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University men's basketball team built an early lead but trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and by six at halftime before coming back in the second half to post a 75-70 win over visiting FDU-Florham in non-conference action in Johnston Hall Monday evening.

How It Happened

  • The Greyhounds scored first on a lay-up from sophomore forward Mike DiPietro before the Devils hit a basket. Sophomore guard Alex Dietz connected on a three-pointer to begin a 14-2 run as another jumper from Dietz had the Blue and Grey up 16-4 four and a half minutes into action
  • The Devils answered with a 13-0 run to take their first lead of the night at 17-16, and FDU-Florham pushed the edge out to 25-18 with 8:39 to play in the first half. Dietz drilled a three-pointer and added a jumper as the Hounds closed within 25-23; however, another 16-7 run from the Devils had FDU-Florham up 41-30 with 1:47 before the intermission. Moravian scored the final five points of the half with a trifecta from Dietz making it a 41-35 FDU-Florham lead at the half
  • The Greyhounds scored the first seven points of the second half with a three-point play from sophomore guard C.J. Weber putting the Blue and Grey back ahead 42-41 just 1:46 into second half action. FDU-Florham retook a 43-42 lead before a three-pointer from freshman guard/forward Michael Leonardo capped a 16-4 run and put Moravian up 58-47 with 8:46 remaining
  • Freshman guard/forward Antonio Montgomery hit a lay-up at the 7:15 mark as the Greyhounds led 60-50 before a 10-2 run from the Devils made it a two-point game at 62-60 with 4:39 remaining. FDU-Florham would get no closer as three free throws from Dietz in the final 21 seconds sealed the Moravian victory

Inside the Numbers

  • The Greyhounds had four players in double figures led by Dietz, who netted a game-high 18 points while tying his career high with seven rebounds. Dietz also added three assists and a pair of steals
  • DiPietro tossed in 16 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists while senior guard Danny Cooper added 11 points, a career-high nine assists, five rebounds and two steals. Junior guard Nate Dougherty contributed 10 points and a career-high eight rebounds
  • Weber and Montgomery both finished with six points as Montgomery had a pair of steals while Leonardo and freshman forward Nate Santiago both had four points with Santiago pulling down five boards
  • The Hounds had a 36-32 edge on the glass, just the sixth time this season Moravian has outrebounded an opponent, and the Blue and Grey are 5-1 in those contests
  • Moravian shot 47.6 percent from the floor (30-of-63) and 42.1 percent beyond the three-point line (8-for-19)
  • The Devils had a tale of two halves shooting the ball, making 55.9 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of action and just 33.3 percent in the second half
Head Coach Mike Frew '02 discussing the victory over FDU-Florham in Johnston Hall.

Up Next for the Greyhounds

  • Wednesday, January 19 at The University of Scranton, 7:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, January 22 vs. The Catholic University of America, 2:00 p.m.