Center Valley, PA, (January 12, 2005) – The DeSales University men’s basketball team broke a close game in the first half wide open in the second half for an easy 84-58 win over FDU-Florham in Freedom Conference action on Wednesday evening in Billera Hall.  The win improves DeSales to 10-3 overall, 2-1 in the Freedom, while the loss drops the Devils to 6-7 overall and 1-2 in the Freedom Conference.

 

        With the Devils leading 31-28 with 4:22 left to play in the first half, DSU used a 14-1 run over the last 4:28 to take a 10-point lead (42-32) into the locker rooms.  Senior Michael Venafra (Belmont Hills, PA/Lower Merion) and junior Drew Christman (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) combined for 23 of the 42 points in the first half.

 

        The run continued to start the second half.  FDU scored first to make it, 42-34, with 18:56 left but DeSales exploded for a 24-7 run over the next 11 ½ minutes to make an eight point game a 25-point game in what seemed like an instant.  Including the 14-1 run to end the first half, the Bulldogs out-scored the Devils 38-10 over a 16 minute span to break the game open.  FDU shot just 26.7 percent from the field in the second half and DSU out-rebounded the Devils 42-28 for the game.

 

        Senior David Spadt (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) equaled Venafra’s team-high with 17 points as Venafra canned three treys and Spadt shot 5-of-6 from the field and also made three triples.  Christman finished the game with 11 points and senior Kevin Welsh (Havertown, PA/Haverford) scored five points, grabbed a career-high six rebounds and dished out seven assists in the win.

 

        Christopher Trotta led the Devils attack with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from outside the arc, but the Bulldogs held FDU’s leading scorer, Chris Hendershot, to just 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting.