BOX SCORE | PHOTOS | Buy the DVD

Reading, Pa. (Jan. 7, 2009) - Senior David Washington (Durham, Pa./Northern Durham) scored all of his game-high 14 points in the second half hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to help Alvernia University (6-6, 3-1) secure a 59-55 win over Misericordia University (7-5, 1-2) Wednesday evening in Freedom Conference men's basketball action at the Physical Education Center.

Washington buried his first 3 to give Alvernia a 13-point lead at the start of the second half, but Misericordia came back with 15 of the next 18 points to cut the Alvernia lead to just one, 31-30 with 13:24 to play.

Washington was fouled on a 3 that stopped that run and added the free throw to push the lead to five.  Alvernia finished the night 16-of-21 from the free throw line, its best percentage effort of the season, and needed every one.

Play went back and forth over the next four minutes with Alvernia holding a three-piont lead, 41-38 after a Robbie Johnson (Jackson, Pa./Mountain View) layup.  Washington picked one of his three second-half steals on the next Misericordia possession and added back-to-back 3s to put Alvernia up nine, 47-38 with 6:43 to go.

The lead grew to a dozen as Derek Dubbs (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) his four straight free throws, and Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Carson Long Military Acad.) knocked down a corner jumper.

Misericorida freshman Jeff Slanovec (Easton, Pa./Freedom) hit a 3 to cut the gap to nine, and after a Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) free throw at 3:39 Alvernia went scoreless for better than two minutes as Misericorida ran off seven straight points to trim the lead to three, 56-53 with a minute to play.

Washington hit one free throw and Vinny Baumunk's (Dushore, Pa./Sullivan County) jumper with two seconds to go pulled the Cougars within two.  Hughes then hit two free throws for the final margin.

Amponsah joined Washington in double figures with 13 and Misericordia had a trio of players in double digits led by Slanovec with a dozen.

Alvernia is on the road for a conference doubleheader on Saturday at DeSales.

Alvernia 59, Misericordia 55