Grantham, PA (November 22, 2014) – Senior Michael Guldin hit three free throws over the final 25 seconds erasing a one-point deficit and leading the DeSales University men's basketball team past John Jay College, 74-72, in the consolation game of the TownePlace Suites Tip-Off Tournament at Messiah College on Saturday afternoon.
 
Junior Cody Deal led the Bulldogs with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting and Guldin added 16 points and six assists in the win.  Sophomore Brian Laird had 13 points off the bench, sophomore Kuity Slanger added nine points and five assists, and freshman Aaron Burton had seven points off the pine in the win.
 
JJC was led by Kris Owens with a game-high 28 points on seven three-pointers and Korede Griffith with 13 points and Darell Robinson with 12 points.
 
DeSales stormed out of the gates opening up a 15-3 lead over the first 6:05 of the game and continued to lead by 10 points (24-14) at the 8:50 mark of the first-half.
 
John Jay scored eight quick points including two three's from Owens to make it a two-point game with 7:32 left in the opening half but the Bulldogs led throughout the first 20 minutes holding a six-point advantage at the break (37-31).
 
Again it was all Bulldogs early in the second-half taking an 18-point lead (56-38) at the 12:37 mark on a three-pointer from Laird before John Jay stormed back into the game.
 
The Bloodhounds found new life and used a 22-3 run over the next 6:07 to take a one-point lead (60-59) with 6:24 left in the game.
 
A fast break lay-up from Guldin and jumper from Laird pushed the lead back to three points as the two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes.
 
The game was tied for the fourth time at 69 with 1:27 left and DSU in possession. Burton stepped out of a timeout and hit a jumper off an assist from Guldin to give the Bulldogs a two-point lead but John Jay answered with a three from Robinson giving JJC a 72-71 lead with 36 seconds left.
 
Guldin was fouled just 11 seconds later and hit both freebies to put DeSales back up a point with 25 ticks left and after a missed lay-in from the Bloodhounds, Guldin was again fouled, hitting 1-of-2 making it a two-point game and a lay-up from Robinson was off the mark at the buzzer with the Bulldogs surviving the Bloodhounds comeback attempt.
 
DSU shot 42.6 percent from the field and hit 82.1 percent (23-for-28) from the free throw line in the win.  JJC canned 11 three-pointers and controlled the glass out-rebounding the Bulldogs, 44-37.  The Bulldog bench out-scored John Jay's, 24-6, in the game.
 
DeSales returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to cross town rival Moravian College for a non-conference game beginning at 8:00 pm.