Grantham, PA (November 21, 2014) – Senior Michael Guldin scored five straight points late in the second-half giving DeSales a 64-63 lead but Eastern Mennonite grabbed two offensive rebounds late and scored the game-winning bucket with 0.4 seconds left handing DSU a heartbreaking 65-64 loss in the opening round of the TownePlace Suites Tip-Off Tournament at Messiah College on Friday evening.
 
Guldin finished with 16 points to lead all scorers.  Junior Cody Deal finished with 10 points, senior Derek Dalition had eight points, and freshmen Aaron Burton (9) and Connor Jones (8) also played well of the bench.  Senior Travis Bryan grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and had two blocks in the loss.
 
EMU was led by Ryan Yates with 11 points and Rashawn Latimer with 10 points.  David Falk grabbed a team-high nine boards.
 
EMU scored four straight points breaking a tie at 57 late in the second-half to lead 63-59 with 3:30 left.  Guldin answered with a three-point play and hit a step-back jumper on the next possession to give DSU a 64-63 lead with 1:31 left to play.
 
Eastern Mennonite had two looks to take the lead on its next possession but the first was blocked by Bryan and the second was off the mark as DSU called timeout with possession and 29 seconds left.  A Guldin lay-up was off the mark and EMU called timeout with 16 seconds left.
 
EMU's first shot was tapped out of the paint and its second shot was short falling to James Williams on the left block who grabbed the errant shot and scored while being fouled with 0.4 seconds left.  Williams missed the FT and DeSales called timeout but a full court pass was off the mark as time expired.
 
EMU led 18-15 early when DeSales used a 6-0 run capped by a three from Deal to take a 21-18 lead.  Eastern Mennonite answered with a 10-0 run to take a 37-29 lead into the locker room and scored the first four points of the second-half to lead 41-29.  The Bulldogs countered with a 12-0 run as five players scored during the spurt setting up the final stages of the game.
 
DSU Shot 39.0 percent for the game shaking off a poor shooting first-half to convert 46.9 percent in the second-half.  The Bulldogs also out-rebounded EMU, 41-37, for the game.  The contest featured five ties and nine lead changes overall.  DeSales got 26 of its 64 points off the bench.
 
DeSales advances to the consolation game of the tournament on Saturday at 2:00 pm taking on the loser of the other opening round game between host Messiah College and John Jay College.