Box Score BOX SCORE
Glenside, Pa. (February 19, 2008) – The DeSales University men's basketball made a furious comeback late in the second half to erase a 13-point deficit and had two chances to win the game at the end of regulation but were unable to get the winning basket and lost a heartbreaking game, 66-62, in overtime at Arcadia University in Freedom Conference action on Tuesday evening.
The Bulldogs are now 19-5 overall and 9-3 in the Freedom Conference as they conclude conference play with the loss. Arcadia improves to 12-12 overall and 6-5 in the Freedom and are still alive for the fourth and final Freedom Conference playoff spot with the win. DSU would have clinched the #1 seed in the playoffs with a win but will have to sit and wait to see if they will still enter the post-season as the #1 seed. Several scenarios still exist pending the outcomes of the last three Freedom Conference games on Saturday afternoon and the Bulldogs still have a shot at earning the top spot pending Saturday's results.
Tonight's game was tight the entire way as neither team was able to gain control in the opening half as both teams struggled to score. Arcadia held the largest lead of the half (6-0) after opening the game with two three-pointers but the lead never got any higher the rest of the way and a lay-up from senior Phil Stricker (Womelsdorf, PA/Conrad Weiser) with 17 seconds left saw the Scarlet Knights clinging to a 27-25 advantage at the break.
Both teams shot poorly in the first half as they each were 8-for-24 (33.3%) from the field. Eric Elliot led the Scarlet Knight attack with nine points (three treys), while sophomore Jim Malatesta(Warminster, PA/Archbishop Wood) and Stricker each had eight points in the opening twenty minutes.
DSU battled back to start the half and tied the game at 37 at the 15:43 mark on a three-pointer from junior Ed Lapinski (Red Hill, PA/Upper Perkiomen), but Arcadia responded to the trey with a 16-3 run over the next six minutes to take a 53-40 lead with 9:35 left to play.
Sophomore Darnell Braswell (Allentown, PA/William Allen) led the charge back scoring the game's next six points on a three-pointer from the right wing and a three-point play in the lane to cut the deficit down to seven points. Two freebies from Glen Gagnon made the score 55-46 but the Bulldog defense tightened and held AU without a point for the next 5:15 as they chipped away at the lead.
A 9-0 spurt eventually tied the game at 55 as Braswell again came thru with two charity tosses at the 2:42 mark. Arcadia broke its scoring drought when Steve Sharp converted a lay-up, but Braswell was fouled on an inbounds pass on DSU's next possession. He missed the first freebie but connected on the second to make the score, 57-56, with 1:07 to go. After a three-point miss from AU, senior Eddie Ohlson (Allentown, PA/Parkland) was fouled on the rebound and walked to the other end with a chance to give DSU the lead with 34 seconds left.
After hitting the first free throw to tie the game, the second bounced away but Lapinski grabbed the loose ball rebound and DSU called timeout tied at 57 to set up the potential game-winner. After dribbling the clock down to 10 seconds, Ohlson was left open just right of the top of the key and let loose on a three-pointer to win the game with three ticks left but the ball hit the back iron and bounced away as time expired on regulation and the game was headed to overtime.
Arcadia scored the first five points of the extra period but a three from junior Matt Zwetolitz (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) and a lay-up from Braswell tied the score at 62 before Arcadia's Bobby Mulholland un-tied the game with a short jumper on the next possession to give AU a 64-62 advantage with 2:42 to play.
After consecutive possession came up empty for both teams, Lapinski was fouled with 1:35 left but he missed both charity tosses and the Scarlet Knights regained possession with 55 seconds left and up two points. After a timeout, Sterling Green missed on a three-point attempt from the left wing but Elliot was fouled on the rebound with 17 seconds left and made 1-of-2 to make the score, 65-62. DSU turned the ball over on its next possession with a chance to tie the game and Elliot converted 1-of-2 once again on the other end as the Bulldogs fell for the third time in the last five games.
Braswell finished with a game-high 21 points and also grabbed eight rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Stricker and Malatesta each finished with 10 points and Lapinski added seven markers in the loss.
Elliot had a team-high 15 points, including the 1,000th of his career, Green tallied 13 points and Mulholland added 11 in the win for Arcadia.
The Bulldogs will wrap up its regular season on Saturday, February 23rd when they travel to NCAA Division II Bloomsburg University for a non-conference game beginning at 3:00 pm. For those unable to attend you can listen to the game live on the internet via the following link – CLICK HERE.
