DeSales (5-2 overall) was unconscious in the first half, sinking 70.8 percent (17-of-24) of its shots en route to a 45-34 halftime edge. The Mules (5-2 overall) also shot extremely well converting 50.0 percent (13-of-26) of its field goal attempts. The Bulldogs made 10 of its first 11 shots and took a 17-point lead over the first six minutes before Muhlenberg chipped away at the lead and settled for an 11-point deficit after 20 minutes.
The second half was an extraordinary 20 minutes of basketball. MC stormed out of the locker rooms with a 9-2 run to cut the lead to four points, 47-43, but DeSales responded with a 10-2 run of its own and the lead was back to 12 points, 57-45, with 14:42 left to play.
The Mules again just kept chipping away at the lead. Down eight with 12:25 remaining, Muhlenberg finally got even with DeSales courtesy of a 10-2 spurt tying the score at 61 with 9:55 left in the game. The two teams traded baskets over the next six minutes with neither team taking more than a 3-point lead at any time during those six minutes.
Tied at 77 with 3:52 to play, the Mules missed three consecutive scoring chances and senior Kyle Koch took advantage hitting a three-pointer from the right corner staking DSU to an 80-77 lead with 2:17 to go on the clock. A lay-up on the other end by sophomore Jeff Stewart cut the advantage to one point, but Bulldogs’ senior Michael Venafra canned his sixth three-pointer of the game to push the lead to four points, 83-79.
The Mules were fouled on the ensuing possession and Chase Licata converted both freebies cutting the lead to two points, but DeSales answered once again as an unlikely hero came through on the offensive end. Senior Kevin Welsh drove to the lane as the shot clock wound down and hit an off-balance lay-up over the Mules center, giving Welsh 10 points and his first-ever double figure scoring game. The lead was back to four points, 85-81, with 40 ticks left.
Stewart again converted a lay-up inside on the other end, but after a miss by DeSales, senior David Spadt tipped out a loose rebound and the Mules were forced to foul and the Bulldogs converted 5-of-6 freebies down the stretch to provide the final five-point margin.
Five players reached double digits for DeSales including Venafra with a team-high 25 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point land. His 25 points leave him just six shy of becoming the 18th player in school history to record 1,000 career points. Welsh also had a career game totaling 10 points and handing out a game-high eight assists.
Koch added 13 points and three assists and freshman Phil Stricker had a season-high 14 points on the inside. Junior Drew Christman provided a spark off the bench with 13 points and Spadt filled the stat sheet with six points, five rebounds, six assists and five steals.
The Mules were led by Stewart who tallied a team-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Chris Pothering came off the bench and scored 14 points behind 4-of-8 shooting from outside the arc, while Ryan Bonda added 11 points to round out the double figure scoring.