Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

LAS VEGAS -- The top-ranked FDU-Florham Devils women's basketball team faced their toughest test of the season and were pushed to the final buzzer but prevailed with a 60-58 victory over UW-Stevens Point at the D3hoops.com Classic on Monday night at South Point Arena.

The Devils (9-0) extended their nation-best winning streak to 43 games but it was not easy. UW-Stevens Point (7-5) used a 9-0 run to surge from 11-points down and come within a basket of the No. 1 Devils but FDU-Florham prevented the Pointers from finding a quality shot in the final seconds and secured the victory.

In the win, junior forward Shalette Brown (Somerset, N.J.) netted her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman guard Danielle Leguillou (Staten Island, N.Y.) made three of her four shots and finished with 11 points.

The Devils earned the victory despite being dominated on the glass 54 to 31 by the Pointers. Kaitlyn Jacobs led UW-Stevens Point with 15 rebounds and added a game-high 18 points in the loss.

FDU-Florham's defense, led by senior forward Kyra Dayon's (Trenton, N.J.) five steals, helped make up for the large rebounding disparity by forcing 24 turnovers. Dayon added seven rebounds and seven points to her ledger but struggled to find her shooting stroke, finishing the game 2-for-15 from the field.

The Pointers led for the first seven minutes of action before a pair of free throws by Alyssa McDonough (Parlin, N.J.) gave FDU-Florham its first lead at 13-11.

A layup by Delisha Thompson (East Orange, N.J.) set the Devils' largest lead of the half at seven before the Pointers scored the final five points of the stanza to get within a hoop, 34-32, at intermission.

The Devils only managed to knock down 1-of-7 from beyond the arc in the opening half but took advantage at the line by converting 13 of their 15 attempts.

Five minutes into the second half, a 3-pointer by UW-Stevens Point's Lauren Anklum pulled the Pointers even at 42-42, however, the Devils countered with a 15-4 run, which was capped by a three-ball by Leguillou that gave FDU-Florham its largest lead of the game at 57-46 with 7:51 to go.

Following a time out, the Pointers surged back with nine-straight points and held the Devils scoreless over the next six minutes to climb within two at 57-55.

With the Devils leading 58-55, McDonough secured a crucial offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Alicia Cox (Vineland, N.J.) made one of two from the line, which extended the advantage to 59-55 with 16 seconds to play in regulation.

Another 3-pointer by Anklum brought UW-Stevens Point within one with five ticks to go but following a free throw by Dayon, the Devils defense thwarted the Pointers last gasp and held on for the narrow victory.

Head coach Marc Mitchell predicted that the Devils would be challenged in Las Vegas and he was correct, as the Pointers are the first team to come within 10 points of the defending champions this season. The 60 points is the lowest output of the season for the Devils offense, which entered play ranked fourth in the country at 87.1 points per game.