CENTER VALLEY, Pa.–Eastern University Men's Basketball overcame early foul trouble and a four-point halftime deficit to claim a critical 80-71 win at DeSales and lock up a home game for the upcoming MAC Freedom Tournament. Michael Bowlers led five players in double-figures with 18, but critical minutes off the bench from Terron Bacon and Sam Gallardo made the difference as the Eagles pulled away over the final ten minutes.

How It Happened:
Gallardo hit a jumper to put the Eagles up 59-56 with 9:36 on the clock and it looked like the Eagles earned a stop, but DeSales guard Dat Lambert picked up a loose ball and hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. Undaunted, Bacon answered with a 3-pointer at the other end for a 62-59 edge.

William Blet knocked in a baseline jumper for a five point lead but the Bulldogs (16-8, 9-4 MAC Freedom) scored inside to answer. Bacon knocked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key to stretch the lead to six and another one after a DeSales basket to stretch the Eastern lead to 72-65 with a little more than six minutes to play. Bacon was 5-of-6 from the floor and made all four of his second-half shots. He finished with 13 points.

The seven-point edge proved to be enough as the Eastern defense stiffened and the Eagles made enough free throws to hold on for the win.

The pace of the second half was where the Eagles wanted it to be and they shot 15-of-23 from the floor to erase the 43-39 halftime deficit.

The Eagles built a 21-10 lead out of the gate, but the Eagles picked up several fouls and the Bulldogs   took advantage with a 14-to-0 run over a three-minute stretch. Clifton Adams hit a 3-pointer to stop the run,. The Bulldogs led 36-31 before Bowlers rolled in his first career 3-pointer to pull the Eagles to within a basket. His shot from the top of the key hit several spots before rolling home.

Bowlers had a pair of put-back baskets in the final minute, including one as time expired to keep the Eagles within four.

Led by ten points each from Bowlers, Victor Peña, and Draig Ruff, the Eagles shot 16-of-29 from the floor. The Bulldogs made 6-of-12 from behind the arc in the first half and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in building the lead.

After sitting with foul trouble most of the first half, William Blet scored nine in the second to finish with 11. Ruff also finished 5-of-6 from the floor and scored 17. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists, a steal and a blocked a shot.

Lambert led the Bulldogs with 17.

Coach Pruessner Says:
"It was a little bit like a heavyweight fight. We both landed some big blows early. With Vic and William in foul trouble, I thought we could have been down ten at half, but we came up with a few good stops and Mike had a pair of tip-ins late to keep us in it."

"Huge performance from Terron. We see him hit shots in practice and know that he can do that. We needed another scorer off the bench today and he made baskets at a critical time."

"We held them to 3-for-17 from deep in the second half. A couple of their makes came on broken plays. We committed to defending the perimeter, and did not do as good a job ending the possessions with defensive rebounds. Our offensive efficiency was really good in the second half. We got good looks and made them at a really good rate."

"We are really happy to earn a home playoff game. We need to keep this going through Saturday and into next week."

Up Next;
The Eagles will host Misericordia at 6 pm this Saturday/. The program will honor its four seniors before the game. Peña, Bowlers, Adams, and Gabe Perez will play their final regular-season game at home, but they and the rest of the Eagles will host a MAC Freedom Tournament contest next Wednesday at 7:00 pm. If the Eagles are the second seed, which they will be if Stevens beats King's on Saturday, they will host DeSales.