Center Valley, PA (February 23, 2011) – The regular season is over, the playoff seeds are set, and now the quest to call yourselves the champion and assure a spot in the NCAA Tournament begins as the DeSales University men's basketball begins its run at a third straight Freedom Conference Championship this week.

The Bulldogs (18-7, 9-5 Freedom) ended the regular season tied for first with Delaware Valley College but lost the tiebreaker to the Aggies and will enter the post-season as the #2 seed. Misericordia University and Wilkes University finished tied for the third spot with the Cougars earning the tiebreaker setting up a Delaware Valley/Wilkes match-up in one semifinal and the Bulldogs taking on Misericordia in the other semifinal in Billera Hall on Wednesday beginning at 8:00 pm following the women's game at 6:00 pm.

Admission for the event will be $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for senior citizens (65+), and $2.00 for students w/ID. DeSales students (with ID) will be admitted free into the game and all children under the age of six are FREE.

Here is all you need to know about the game:

Where to watch/follow:
If you are unable to get to Billera Hall for the game you have two options to follow the game from the comfort of your home. LIVE Video will be available FREE of charge to all viewers and can be accessed by clicking HERE and/or you can also follow along via LIVE stats HERE.

DeSales/Misericordia Series:
DeSales owns a 21-8 lead in the all-time series between the two teams with one of those games coming in the Freedom post-season, the title game last year won by the Bulldogs, 69-61. DSU is 14-2 all-time vs. the Cougars at home, but both of those wins have come in last five meetings including one this season.

DeSales/Misericordia Regular Season Series:
Game One – January 12th @ DeSales
This season the road team won both games as they split the season head-to-head. In the first game the Cougars defeated the Bulldogs 63-58, in Billera Hall. Both teams shot just 39 percent for the game and DeSales was just 4-for-22 from three in the loss. Junior Ethan Eichhorst led MU with 22 points and sophomore Steve Artzerounian added 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Junior Bob Zanneo and freshman Mike Coleman were the only double digit scorers for DeSales with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Game Two – February 9th @ Misericordia
In the second game, sophomore Brett Moyer hit two free throws with 3.1 seconds left to give DSU a 75-73 win on the road. Senior Brian Hunter had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Moyer finished with 16 points and nine boards. Sophomore Brian Kerwin also tossed in 15 points in the win. Eichhorst again played well for the Cougars with 25 points and 11 pulls, while junior Jeff Slanovec (19 points) and senior Robbie Johnson (12) also reached double figures.

DeSales in the Freedom Playoffs:
The Bulldogs are making their 10th overall Freedom Conference playoffs appearance and the fifth straight dating back to the 2006-07 season. DSU has been in four straight Freedom Conference title games and five of the last six, winning two titles (2008-09, 2009-10). DeSales is 8-7 all-time in the Freedom post-season and are 7-4 at home during the Freedom playoffs.

Misericordia in the Freedom Playoffs:
Misericordia is in just its third year in the Freedom Conference joining at the start of the 2008-09 season. This is the Cougars' second straight Freedom Conference playoff appearance with a 1-1 overall record after losing to DSU in the title game last season.

About the Bulldogs:
DeSales enters the post-season with an 18-7 overall record, but having lost two straight to close out the regular season. DSU entered last week ranked #5 in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings with a new ranking set to be released on Wednesday afternoon. Hunter was named to the All-Freedom Conference First-Team on Monday and leads DSU in scoring at 16.2 points, assists at 6.4 per game, and steals at 1.9 per game. He entered last week ranked eighth in the country in assists per game and is among the top seven in the Freedom Conference in scoring (7th), assists (1st), steals (2nd), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd). Hunter has three double-doubles on the year, including one vs. Misericordia. He is nine assists shy of becoming the first-ever player in school history to score 1,000 points and hand out 400 career assists. Moyer, named Second-Team All-Conference, is second on the team in scoring at 15.0 PPG and leads DSU on the glass pulling down 7.4 boards per game. He is shooting 57.9 percent from the field, which ranks third in the Freedom Conference. Zanneo is third in scoring at 10.5 points per game and leads the Bulldogs with 21 blocked shots. He is also tops on the team in free throw shooting (92.2% - 47-of-51) and is third with 43 made treys. Kerwin averages just under double digits at 9.9 points per game and shoots a team-high 45.0 percent from three-point land (49-of-109). As a team DSU is ranked among the top in the Freedom Conference in free throw shooting percentage (73.0 – 1st), field goal percentage (46.1 – 2nd), field goal percentage defense (40.5 – 1st), three-point shooting percentage (35.7 – 1st), and assists (16.7 APG – 1st).

About the Cougars:
Misericordia enters the post-season with a 15-10 overall record and as the third best shooting team in the Freedom Conference at 45.1 percent from the field. Leading the Cougar attack are its two All-Conference players in Eichhorst (1st-Team) and Johnson (2nd-Team). Eichhorst is averaging 19.0 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game to lead Misericordia. He ranks third in scoring, rebounding, and free throw percentage (81.3%) in the Freedom Conference. Johnson is second in scoring at 15.6 points per game and ranks first in the Freedom Conference in steals per game (2.0). He also leads the Cougars with 94 assists on the year. Slanovec is MU's sharp-shooter, making a team-high 60 three's on the year and shooting 35.9 percent from outside the arc. He averages 12.8 points per game. Freshman Matt Greene rounds out the top scorers, averaging 8.2 points per game and shooting 38.9 percent from three-point land (49-for-126).