For the second time in three years, the Misericordia University men's basketball team has earned a chance to play for the Freedom Conference Championship.

The Cougars (16-10) travel to DeSales University (17-9) to take on the top-seeded Bulldogs with an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament on the line, Saturday at 3 p.m.. 

The Cougars lost in the semifinals to Delaware Valley last season, but return to the Freedom Conference Championship game after winning the 2011-2012 championship game in convincing fashion with a 65-46 victory over Wilkes. MU lost in the semifinals in 2010-2011 and lost to DeSales in the championship game in 2009-2010.

Steve Ware led the Cougars with 20 points and five rebounds, while Joe Busacca and Matt Greene added 16 points en route to the Cougars victory over FDU-Florham on Wednesday night. Cael Evans chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds.

With Wednesday night's win, MU extended its winning streak to three. Steve Ware is the leading scorer for Misericordia, averaging 14.5 ppg and also leads the team with 7.2 rpg. Joe Busacca averages 12.6 ppg and Matt Greene averages 12.5 ppg for the Cougars. Greene also finished the regular season with a Freedom Conference best 89.1 free-throw percentage and 78 three-points buckets. Evans leads the team in field goal percentage (60.2), while averaging nearly eight ppg. Erik Kerns has also been a threat down low for the Cougars, averaging 8.7 ppg.

The Bulldogs are no strangers to the Freedom Conference Championship game. With Wednesday night's 77-68 victory over Manhattanville, DeSales advances to the Freedom Conference Championship for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. Senior guard Kyle Hash scored 25 points, while Mike Coleman added 15 points for the Bulldogs in their win over Manhattanville.

Coleman leads the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 15.1 ppg and 5.1 rpg, while Hash averages 13.4 ppg. Cody Deal is DeSales biggest threat from beyond the arc with 40 three-point buckets on the season. Senior 6-8 forward Andrew Kohler leads the Bulldogs with 24 blocks.

MU and DeSales split the regular season series with each team winning at home. The Cougars knocked off the Bulldogs 57-56 in the Anderson Center, while DeSales notched a 68-60 victory over the Cougars at Billera Hall.

The winner of Saturday afternoon's championship game will get to cut down the nets and continue their season in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.

The bracket will be announced March 3 via web stream on NCAA.com, with the tournament beginning Thursday, March 6. If the Cougars win it would be their second trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament, with the other being in 2011-2012 when NYU defeated MU 84-65 in the tournament's opening round in New York City.