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Purchase, NY (February 9, 2012) – Five players reached double digits including senior Bob Zanneo with a game-high tying 19 points leading the DeSales University men's basketball to an important 80-71 win over Manhattanville College in Kennedy Gymnasium on Thursday night.

Zanneo hit three 3's and was 6-for-7 from the line scoring his 19 points in just 12 minutes of action.  Sophomore Paul Pammer added 15 points, freshman Ryan Griffin finished with 12 points, and sophomore Mike Coleman and junior Brett Moyer each totaled 11 points in the win.

Senior Trevoy Pointer equaled Zanneo's 19 points for the Valiants (10-12, 4-7 Freedom), Jeffrey Ventura finished with 12 points, all of which came on three-pointers, and Jack Bramswig had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

DeSales (13-9, 6-5 Freedom) started quickly, opening up a 13-7 lead, 5:08 into the game after seven straight points from Griffin, before a 7-0 MVC run gave the hosts its last lead of the game, 17-16, at the 11:59 mark.  The Bulldogs then took control from there, scoring 10 straight points to lead 26-17 with 10:11 left in the opening half.  Zanneo led the charge with two three's and seven total points during the 10-0 run.

The first-half lead swelled to as many as 12 points before DeSales settled for an 11-point cushion at the break.  Griffin led the way with 10 first-half points, while Pammer and Zanneo each had seven tallies.  DSU held MVC to just 37.9 percent shooting and committed just five turnovers.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the second half and led by double digits nearly the entire way.  With 5:25 remaining, DSU held a 66-52 edge when MVille made one last run.  Six straight points cut the margin down to single digits for the first time since the first half (66-58) before two free throws from Coleman pushed the lead back to 10 points with 3:30 to go.

A three-pointer from Vargas, a Valiant steal, and a jumper from Pointer cut the DSU lead in half with 2:45 remaining.  It was a six-point lead with 2:10 left a Zanneo lay-up but a Pointer lay-up on the other end, two missed free throws from Pammer, and a free throw from Pointer made it a one-possession game (71-68) with 1:33 left.

Coleman drove the lane on the right side on the next possession but his off-balanced jumper was off the front rim, but Zanneo was there to tip it in making it a five point game and after a missed three from Vargas Pammer cashed in on the other end with a three-point play to push the Bulldog advantage up to eight points (76-68) and DeSales iced the game from the line hitting 4-for-4 over the final 17 seconds to post the final margin.

DeSales finished the game shooting 50.9 percent from the field, 56.5 percent in the second half.  DSU also committed just 12 turnovers and capitalized in transition, scoring 19 fast-break points as compared to just four for the Valiants.

The Bulldogs now find themselves in a tie for the fourth and final Freedom Conference playoff spot with FDU-Florham with three games remaining.  DSU will host those Devils in Billera Hall on Saturday beginning at 3:00 pm in the last regular season game of the season and in the careers of DSU's three seniors.