Dallas, PA (February 9, 2011) – Sophomore Brett Moyer hit two free throws with 3.1 seconds left and senior Brian Hunter recorded his third double-double of the season, scoring his 1,000th career point in the process lifting the DeSales University men's basketball team to its eighth straight win, 75-73, over Misericordia University on Wednesday evening in Freedom Conference action.
The win keeps the Bulldogs in first place in the Freedom Conference all alone as DSU improves to 17-5 overall and 8-3 in the Freedom. The victory is also the sixth straight on the road for the Bulldogs this season.
Hunter notches his third double-double but his first with points and rebounds as he tallied a team-high 21 points and pulled down a career-high 10 boards. He is the 22nd player in school history to record 1,000 points, doing so in just three seasons with the Bulldogs. Hunter is also just 25 assists shy of becoming the first player in school history to score 1,000 points and hand out 400 career assists.
Moyer finished with 16 points and pulled down nine boards, sophomore Brian Kerwin added 15 points, and freshman Paul Pammer had his second straight strong offensive game with eight points.
Ethan Eichhorst finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars, Jeff Slanovec added 19 points, and senior Robbie Johnson finished with 12 points in the loss.
Trailing by six (65-59) with exactly five minutes left on the clock the Bulldogs began their comeback. A short Kerwin jumper was followed by a steal and lay-up from Moyer cutting the margin down to two points. MC countered with a fast break lay-up on its next possession but Hunter drove the lane on the following trip down the floor and converted a three-point play cutting the deficit down to one (67-66) with 4:09 to go.
After a short jumper from Slanovec pushed the lead back to three points with 1:34 remaining, Hunter let go on a three-pointer that hit back iron but Pammer was there for the put-back making it a one-point game with 2:03 left. Slanovec again came up big for the Cougars on the other end pushing their lead back to three points but Hunter found Kerwin open on the next possession and he knocked down a huge three-pointer with 1:16 on the clock to tie the game.
After a Cougar miss on the other end, DSU had a chance to take the lead but its game-winning attempt rimmed out as MU's Johnson dribbled towards the offensive end. Looking to the sideline, MU's coach motioned to Johnson to take it to the hole and his off-balance runner was long and Moyer was hacked during the rebound, sending the sophomore to the line with a chance to give the Bulldogs its first second-half lead.
Moyer knocked down both free tosses and on the ensuing inbounds play; Misericordia fired the ball out of bounds. Moyer was again fouled on the inbounds pass and after missing both freebies this time; Slanovec got the rebound and fired a 50-footer at the buzzer to win the game that bounced off the side of the rim as time expired.
The opening half was a back-and-forth battle that saw seven ties and three lead changes. DSU led 20-17 before a 9-0 Cougar run pushed the home team up six with 6:48 left. The two teams traded baskets over the final 6:48 with MU settling for a three-point advantage heading into the locker room.
The Bulldogs put its eight-game winning streak on the line on Saturday when they host King's College in another critical Freedom Conference battle beginning at 3:00 pm in Billera Hall.