Center Valley, PA, (February 23, 2005) – An electric atmosphere combined with some gutsy senior leadership led the DeSales University men’s basketball team past Wilkes University, 67-63, in the semifinals of the Freedom Conference playoffs on Wednesday evening in front of a packed house in Billera Hall.

 

        The win advances DeSales (20-6 overall) to the Freedom Conference Championship game for the second time in the last three years.  DSU lost at the University of Scranton two years ago in its other championship appearance.  The 20 wins also mark the third straight season the Bulldogs have recorded 20 victories.  DSU, the #1 seed in the Freedom Conference playoffs, will host the #2 seed, King’s College, a 76-70 winner over Scranton also on Wednesday at Scandlon Gymnasium.  Wilkes University sees its season come to an end with a 15-10 overall record.

 

        The Bulldogs truly had the extra man on the floor tonight in the DeSales University crowd.  The student section was overfilling in capacity and nearly tore the roof off as senior David Spadt (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) made a clutch steal late in the game to give DSU the lead for good with just over two minutes left.

 

        This game was your classic Freedom Conference battle for all 40 minutes.  Wilkes took control early, opening up a 12-point lead twice in the first half with the last one coming at 19-7.  DSU chipped away at the lead and cut the margin to three points at 23-20 with 8:56 left in the opening half.  A traditional three-point play by Greg Cardamone pushed the advantage back to six and the Colonels continued to lead by six at the 4:57 mark.

 

        After another Cardamone lay-up made the score 32-24 the Bulldogs held Wilkes scoreless over the last 4:41 of the half and broke its own scoreless streak with 42 seconds left as senior Michael Venafra (Belmont Hills, PA/Lower Merion) hit a three-pointer and Spadt made a huge steal and converted a lay-up at the buzzer to cut the Wilkes lead to three at 32-29 as DSU ran into the locker room with the crowd screaming and the momentum at their backs.

 

        In the second half the intensity was even greater.  After Wilkes took a five-point lead with a bucket just out of the locker rooms, neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.  It was a back and forth affair for nearly entire the half that was dominated by each team’s defense.

 

        Wilkes eventually broke a tie at 49 with consecutive three-point plays, one conventional and one from long-distance and continued to lead by four, 57-53, with 4:46 left before the DeSales seniors and a talented freshman took over.    Venafra started the heroics with a jumper from right baseline to pull DSU within two.  He followed his jumper with a steal and a lay-up in the open court and Spadt snuck around the Wilkes point guard on the ensuing inbounds pass, stole it and laid it in setting off a huge roar from the DSU students.

 

        After two misses by the Colonels on the other end, Venafra was fouled on the rebound and knocked down freebies to make it 61-57.  A lay-up by Cardamone cut the margin to two but once again DSU responded and after a Bulldog timeout, freshman Eddie Ohlson (Allentown, PA/Parkland) calmly drove through the middle of the lane and scored on a sweeping hook to push the lead back to four points, 63-59.  Gould canned a jumper on the other end and the game was back to a two-point affair with 1:06 remaining.

 

        On the following possession Venafra got a clean look near the end of the shot clock that fell off the mark, but Spadt leaped high in the air and tipped the offensive board out to the three-point line and the Bulldogs had possession with under 35 seconds left.  Not realizing the shot clock had been turned off, DSU found a wide open Christman at the foul line, he turned and fired a shot that hung on the back of the rim for what seemed like an eternity and finally fell thru, giving the Bulldogs a four-point edge once again, 65-61.

 

        Freshman Chris Shovlin missed a long three-pointer on the other end but DeSales failed to convert the 1-and-1 charity tosses and the game remained in doubt.  A Pressley jumper with 8 ticks left made it 65-63, but Venafra was fouled on the inbounds pass and calmly swished both free throws posting the final score and moving DeSales just one win closer to earning that coveted NCAA Tournament berth.

 

        Three players were in double digits for DeSales including Venafra with a team-high 18 tallies.  Freshman Phil Stricker (Womelsdorf, PA/Conrad Weiser) totaled 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting and Christman came off the bench to score 13 points and grab six rebounds.  Ohlson was sensational scoring a season-high nine points and dishing out five assists.  Spadt finished with seven points, nine rebounds (five offensive), three assists and three steals.

 

        Shovlin led the Colonel attack with a game-high 19 points and added six assists.  Evan Walters totaled 10 points before fouling out late in the second half and Pressley came off the bench to score 11 points.  Cardamone finished with nine points and game-high 10 rebounds in the loss.