Center Valley, PA (February 22, 2019) - The DeSales University men's and women's basketball teams will host a MAC Freedom postseason tournament championship doubleheader on Saturday afternoon as the top seeded Bulldog women welcome King's College at 6:00 pm and the top seeded men will follow hosting Delaware Valley University at 8:00 pm.
 
Women's Game Preview

The #12/15 Bulldogs (24-2, 14-0 MAC Freedom) won the MAC Freedom regular season championship with a perfect regular season record in the MAC Freedom and will host the second seeded Misericordia University (22-4, 10-4 MAC Freedom).
 
Game time is set for 1:00 pm and admission for the event will be $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for senior citizens, and $2.00 for students' w/ID.  All children under the age of six are FREE.  All DeSales students will be admitted FREE of charge with their student ID.
 
Here is all you need to know about Saturday's championship game between the Cougars and Bulldogs:
 
Where to watch/follow:
If you are unable to attend the game you will be able to follow the game via Live Stats and/or Live Video both offered free of charge.
 
DeSales/Misericordia History:
These two teams have a long history and will be meeting for the 47^th time on Saturday afternoon.  DSU owns a 34-12 lead in the all-time series after DeSales swept the season series.  It will also be the fourth career meeting in the MAC Freedom postseason with the Bulldogs winning two of the first three matchups.  DeSales is 21-3 all-time vs. the Cougars at home.

Regular Season Series
Game One at Misericordia (DSU – 68-59)
The first matchup of the season was tight the entire way.  DeSales led by three (49-46) with just under seven minutes left when the Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to take an 11-point lead and never looked back from there.  Senior Morgan Birmelin finished with 19 points and added seven assists.  Freshman Samantha Shinkus added 12 points and senior Bridget Walsh had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.  Sophomore Isabel Caruso added 11 points and four steals.
 
Game Two at DeSales (DSU – 66-45)
DeSales had runs of 8-0 and 9-0 in the first-half building an 18-point halftime lead and then held off any second-half rallies by the Cougars in earning the win in a defensive battle.  Freshman Averi Jordan and Shinkus led the way with 13 points each.  Birmelin finished with 12 points, four assists, and five steals and Walsh had five blocks.
 
DeSales in the MAC Freedom Postseason:
DeSales is making its 22nd straight MAC Freedom Tournament appearance.  DSU joined the MAC Freedom at the start of the 1997-98 season and hasn't missed the post-season.  The Bulldogs have won six conference titles and are 23-15 all-time in the MAC Freedom postseason.

Men's Game Preview

The Bulldogs (20-6, 12-2 MAC Freedom) won the MAC Freedom regular season championship with a 12-2 record in the MAC Freedom and will host the second seeded Wilkes University Colonels (18-8, 9-5 MAC Freedom).
 
Game time is set for 4:00 pm and admission for the event will be $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for senior citizens, and $2.00 for students' w/ID.  All children under the age of six are FREE.  All DeSales students will be admitted FREE of charge with their student ID.
 
Here is all you need to know about Saturday's championship game between the Cougars and Bulldogs:
 
Where to watch/follow:
If you are unable to attend the game you will be able to follow the game via Live Stats and/or Live Video both offered free of charge.
 
DeSales/Wilkes History:
These two teams have a long history as well and will be meeting for the 61st time on Saturday afternoon.  DSU owns a 31-29 lead in the all-time series after they split the season series.  It will also be the sixth career meeting in the MAC Freedom postseason with the Bulldogs holding a 3-2 advantage in the first five meetings, all of which have been in Billera Hall.  DeSales is 19-12 all-time vs. the Colonels at home.
 
Regular Season Series
Game One at DeSales (DSU – 86-74)
Trailing by eight points at the half, DeSales dominated the second-half, using a 28-5 run mid-way thru the half and scoring 62 second-half points to earn a 97-85 win in a high scoring affair.  Sophomore Matt Kachelries led the charge scoring 26 points and handing out 12 assists.  Junior Tracy Simsick added 26 points and senior Luke Connaghan had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Junior Julian Wing also reached double digits with 11 points.
 
Game Two at Wilkes (WU – 78-77)
A back-and-forth first-half saw each team make runs and the score tied at 35 at the break.  The Bulldogs were down four late when junior Alex House hit three free throws to pull DSU within one.  DeSales got a steal and called timeout with 7.1 seconds left.  Out of the timeout, junior Ben Pratt had a three-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer to win the game but it came up short as the Colonels escaped with the season split.  House led DSU with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks.  Kachelries finished with 16 points and six assists and Connaghan notched double figures with 14.
 
DeSales in the MAC Freedom Postseason:
DeSales is making its 17th MAC Freedom Tournament appearance and are in the postseason for the seventh straight year.  The Bulldogs have won three conference titles and are 15-13 all-time in the MAC Freedom postseason.