The Bulldogs finish the year with a 16-10 overall record, while the Lions improve to 17-9 overall and advance to the semifinals of the Tournament this Friday and Saturday at the #1 seed and final four host, Keystone College.
The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes and saw neither team hold more than a seven point lead throughout the first 39 minutes of the game. Tied at 56 at the 9:50 mark of the second half, DeSales used a 7-0 run to take a 63-56 lead with 7:42 to go. Sophomore Eddie Ohlson started the spurt with a three-pointer and senior Mike Zinn and freshman Jeff Raimo each knocked down two free throws for the Bulldogs.
The 7-0 spurt by DeSales was quickly erased as Albright re-grouped during a timeout and answered with a 14-4 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a three-point lead with 2:35 remaining. Junior Matt Kieselowsky started the run with a jumper and sophomore Taylor Steltz added five straight points to highlight the spurt.
A lay-in from sophomore Phil Stricker cut the lead down to one point, but DSU scored just three points the rest of the way and the Lions pulled away to advance into the next round.
Both teams shot 47 percent from the field, but AC scorched the nets at a 73.7 percent (14-of-19) clip in the second half to earn the victory. DSU out-rebounded the Lions, 30-28, but made just 3-of-17 three-point attempts and shot just 65.2 percent from the free throw line. Albright canned 86.2 percent of its charity tosses and turned the ball over just 10 times.
Stricker led the Bulldogs with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added eight rebounds. Ohlson and Raimo each reached double figures with 10 points and Zinn and sophomore Jamie McCloskey led the charge off the bench with seven points.
Five players scored double digits for Albright including senior Trevor Deeter with a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds. Kieselowsky recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists, Steltz totaled 16 points, Mike Boles totaled 13 points off the bench and Tom Murphy added 11 in the win.
ALBRIGHT COLLEGE 82, DESALES UNIVERSITY 72 ALBRIGHT COLLEGE (17-9 overall) Trevor Deeter 7-11 2-3 18; Taylor Steltz 5-10 4-4 16; Mike Boles 4-6 5-5 13; Matt Kieselowsky 3-8 6-6 12; Tom Murphy 3-7 4-6 11; Greg Conroy 1-4 2-2 5; Lee Walter 1-2 2-3 4; Andy Winebrenner 1-1 0-0 3; Albert Medoro 0-2 0-0 0; Kyle Brudvig 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-53 25-29 82. DESALES UNIVERSITY (16-10 overall) Phil Stricker 9-11 5-10 23; Jeff Raimo 3-8 4-4 10; Eddie Ohlson 4-6 0-0 10; Jamie McCloskey 2-5 2-2 7; Mike Zinn 2-6 3-4 7; Ed Lapinski 2-3 0-1 4; Steve Kriczky 2-2 0-0 4; Marvin Satchell 1-2 1-2 3; Drew Christman 1-7 0-0 2; Sedale Walton 1-7 0-0 2. Totals 27-57 15-23 72. Albright College.............. 30 52 - 82 DeSales University............ 32 40 - 72 3-point goals-Albright 7-17 (Steltz 2; Deeter 2; Winebrenner 1; Conroy 1; Murphy 1), DeSales 3-17 (Ohlson 2; McCloskey 1). Rebounds-Albright 28 (Deeter 9), DeSales 30 (Stricker 8). Assists-Albright 16 (Kieselowsky 10), DeSales 13 (Ohlson 4).