The Misericordia men's basketball team made its debut to Freedom Conference play Saturday, but it ended in a 65-56 loss to DeSales.

 

The Cougars were up 4-2 at the start of the game but never claimed another lead. They're strongest run came on back-to-back 3-pointers by Vinny Baumunk in the second half.

 

The Bulldogs pieced together a 9-0 stretch in the early goings of the first half to set the tone of the game. They led by as much as 10 in the first half and 12 in the second.

 

Marcus Little had a season-high 14 points to lead the Cougar offense. Ethan Eichhorst, Robbie Johnson and Baumunk followed with 12, 11 and 10, respectively.

Darnell Braswell led the Bulldogs with 18 points. He was followed by Jim Malatesta and Ed Lapinski, who each had 10.

 

The Cougars defense kept up with the Bulldogs' with nearly even stats by game's end, but the Bulldogs shot for 45.5 percent to the Cougars' 37.5 percent.

 

The Bulldogs' bench outscored the Cougars' 22-2.

 

Baumunk led the defense with 15 rebounds and two blocks. Dom Del Prete, Little and Eichhorst each had a pair of steals.

Lapinski led the Bulldogs with 10 rebounds.

 

The Cougars host conference rivals King's Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 8:00 p.m.