Worcester, MA (November 19, 2016) - The DeSales University men's basketball shook off an early 14-point deficit to force OT but fell to host WPI, 73-70, in the championship game of the Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Kuity Slanger led the Bulldogs (2-1) with a team-high 19 points, including a put-back with four seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and senior Joseph Lococo added 13 points and four steals.  Senior Ryan Callahan added 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

WPI (3-0) got 21 points from tournament MVP Ian Converse and 20 tallies from Jamani Spencer off the bench in the win.  Jake Wisniewski added 11 points.

WPI was hot at the start opening up an 18-4 lead over the fist 7:05 before DeSales began to chip away.  A 14-6 Bulldog run made it a six-point game with 4:11 to go in the first-half before seven straight points to end the half cut the deficit all the way down to one point (26-25) at the break.

The Bulldogs continued to trail over the first 10 minutes of the second-half before finally taking the lead on a jumper from Lococo at the 9:31 mark.  The game went back-and-forth over the next several minutes before the hosts held a six-point advantage (59-53) with 2:43 to go.  A three from Lococo and another jumper from Lococo after a WPI basket made it a three-point game with 1:19 left and after DSU got a stop Slanger was fouled with 45 seconds left.  He missed both freebies but after a DeSales steal on the other end he was fouled yet again on a driving lay-up with 15 seconds left and he hit both charity tosses this time making it a one-point game.  WPI missed 1-of-2 and after Lococo missed long on a lay-up on the other end Slanger putback the rebound and a halfcourt heave from WPI was off the mark as the game went into overtime.

DeSales scored the first three points of the extra session on a three-point play from Callahan but WPI countered with the next seven points to lead 69-65 ith 1:15 left.  Trailing by four with 12 seconds left, Lococo scored on a driving lay-up and DSU immediately fouled Wisniewski with 2.6 seconds left.  He made the first but missed the second but all the Bulldogs could do was get a half court desparation shot off at the buzzer on the free throw rebound as time expired.

DSU shot 48.1 percent from the field but hit just 11-of-19 from the free throw line in the loss.  WPI took advantage of 19 Bulldog turnovers in the game, scoring 24 points.  DeSales did control the glass out-rebounding WPI, 37-32, for the game.

The Bulldogs are back in action on Tuesday when they travel crosstown to take on local rival Moravian College beginning at 8:00 pm.