ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Basketball used a 10-to-0 run late in the game to pull away to an important 88-77 MAC Freedom win over the visiting FDU-Florham Devils. Antonio Chapman scored 12 of his game-high 25 points in the last 15 minutes to help the Eagles (12-10, 7-4 MAC Freedom) to secure the win.

Eastern trailed 52-42 early in the second half, but managed to close the gap with a 14-4 run over the next four plus minutes. They could not, however, pull away, and the Devils (1-21, 1-11 MAC Freedom) led 69-68 with just over four minutes to play.

Victor Peña scored inside to put the Eagles up, and then Eastern took advantage of a technical foul after a missed shot at the other end. Chapman made a pair of free throws and then converted a three-point play with a strong move in the paint. The run continued on a big block from William Blet on an inside move by Darren Davy. Chapman picked up the ball after a pass from Darius Washington hit a 3-pointer in transition for a 78-69 lead.

"Our defensive intensity was not where we wanted it in the first half," Head Coach Eric McNelley said after the game. "We changed some of the match ups and William [Blet] did a good job bothering Davy with his length. He had a couple really big plays for us at the defensive end."

The Devils scored out of a timeout, but Peña found Austin James cutting to the basket to maintain the nine-point edge with two minutes to play. The Eagles made all eight of their free throws in the final minutes to secure the win.

While the Eagles jumped to a 9-2 lead early in the game, it was the Devils who made the biggest impression in the first half. Freshman guard Shawn Smith had 16 points and four assists in the opening twenty minutes, and Davy had 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Eagles meanwhile were 5-of-17 from behind the arc and did not get to the foul line. FDU led 39-37 at the break.

"Their number ten [Smith] was a huge problem for us in the first half," McNelley said after the game. " He was pushing the tempo, creating shots for teammates and making shots himself. [Austin] James did a really nice job controlling his movement in the second half. He hit a couple tough shots, but Austin's work made the difference."

Led by Chapman's 25, and a 16-point, 11-rebound effort from Peña, the Eagles put all five starters in double-figures. James finished with ten points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block, and Blet had 11 points and six rebounds to go with his two blocks. His 34 blocks are the most by an Eastern player in a season since Mike Johnson swatted 74 in 2006. Darius Washington hit three more 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Smith finished with 23 points to lead the Devils, and Ahmad St. Fleur had 22. Davy scored five points int he second half for 17 in the game.

"We have a huge game at Manhattanville on Saturday," McNelley concluded. "We need to start on Saturday where we finished tonight."

With snowfall in the region, the four teams in playoff contention in the MAC Freedom other than Eastern all had their games postponed until tomorrow. In that, Eastern has a half-game lead on King's, who hosts third-place Misericordia tomorrow. DeSales will host Wilkes in a match-up of the two teams tied atop the league.

The Eagles have won eight-consecutive home games.