Purchase, NY (December 3, 2014) – Manhattanville College finished the game on a 23-9 run over the final 14:38 erasing a seven-point deficit in a 55-48 win over the DeSales University men's basketball team on Wednesday evening in Kennedy Gymnasium in the Freedom Conference opener for both teams.
 
Junior Cody Deal led the Bulldogs (5-2, 0-1 Freedom) with 18 points and also pulled down eight rebounds as DSU's lone double digit scorer.  Sophomore Brian Laird added nine points and freshman Aaron Burton had six points and a season-high 10 rebounds.  Senior Travis Bryan finished with five points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
 
The Valiants (4-4, 1-0 Freedom) got 16 points each from Juan Camacho and Anthony Maestre with Maestre adding a game-high nine assists in the win.
 
MVC started strong opening up an 18-11 lead at the 10:43 mark before the Bulldogs countered with seven straight points to tie the game at 18 including the final five from Deal.
 
DSU then held the Valiants scoreless over the next 5:17 of the first-half taking a 23-21 lead on a jumper from freshman James Smith and a three from Laird and led 28-25 at the break after a lay-up from Maestre to end the half.
 
The Bulldogs opened the second-half hitting 5-of-9 from the field opening up two separate seven-point leads including the second at 39-32 on a put back from Deal with 14:38 left to go but went ice cold from the field from there.
 
DSU hit just 1-for-8 with six turnovers over the next 8:35 as MVC took advantage using a 17-2 run to take a 49-41 lead before Laird hit a three and Deal canned a short jumper pulling the Bulldogs back within three with 3:27 to go.
 
MVC's Andrew Winter answered with a jumper on the other end and after a Bulldog turnover Maestre hit a jumper to push the lead back to seven points with 2:21 remaining.
 
Deal hit two freebies with 1:11 left to make it a five-point game and DSU got a steal on the other end but a missed lay-up gave the ball back to the Valiants and Camacho scored in transition to ice the win for Manhattanville.
 
DeSales finished the game shooting 37.8 percent from the field and committed 23 turnovers in the loss.  MVC also didn't shoot well, converting just 33.3 percent, but turned the ball over just 12 times leading to 19 more shots than the Bulldogs (66-45).
 
The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday when they host Misericordia University in another Freedom Conference game in Billera Hall beginning at 3:00 pm.