Glenside, Pa. - The Arcadia University men's basketball team's second-quarter comeback fell short as the Knights fell to undefeated DeSales University, 75-72, in the team's series opener on Thursday night. 

The Knights had four scorers in double-figures, including Da'Kquan Davis, who paced the team with 19 points, five rebounds and two assists. Jalen Watkins had another strong game as the Knights sixth man. The sophomore big tallied 13 points and six rebounds, while shooting 5-for-8 from the floor in 20-minutes of action. Gabe Kier and Justin Money also reached double figures in scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Jacob Walsh knocked down a three-pointer on the Knights' first possession to kickstart a back-and-forth opening 10-minutes, which saw eight lead changes, two ties and a largest lead of three points. The Bulldogs began to gain ground later in the quarter with a 6-0 run to pull ahead, 26-20. DeSales' first half lead grew to as many as 10 points, before the Knights stopped the bleeding with a 4-0 rally to wrap up the opening stanza, 37-31.

- The Bulldogs maintained their lead for the opening minutes of the second half. Money started a 5-0 run for the Knights with a jumper, which was followed by a DJ Gardner three-pointer to bring the Knights within six points with 13:13 remaining. Following a DeSales bucket, Watkins delivered energy into the lineup with a dunk to spark a 7-0 run. Moments later, Kier drained a three-pointer and Watkins added another bucket to cap off the Knights rally and pull within one point, 51-50. Arcadia would go on to take its first lead of the half after Watkins successfully converted an and-one layup with 9:29 left, 55-52. 

- Both teams traded buckets over the next few possessions, before DeSales gained breathing room with four consecutive free throws to pull ahead by six points, 71-65, with 2:45 left. However, the Knights provided an answer with two free throws from Watkins and a Davis jumper to trim their deficit to two points with 1:52 on the clock.

- In search of a stop, the Knights surrendered a deep three-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock expired, which provided the Bulldogs a five point advantage, 74-69. With 11-seconds remaining in regulation, Davis gave the Knights a chance with an and-one layup to pull within one score. However, the Knights last second heave was left unanswered as the Bulldogs held on to remain unbeaten.

KNIGHT LEADERS
- Points: Davis 19, Watkins 13
- Assists: Money 3
- Rebounds: Watkins 6

TEAM COMPARISON
- The Bulldogs had a much better night from the field, shooting 54.5 percent compared to Arcadia's 41.5 percent.
- Arcadia shot 1-for-9 from three-point range, while DeSales was a slightly better 4-for-17. 
- The Knights played more diciplined on offense with only nine turnovers compared to the Bulldogs 16 turnovers. 
- Arcadia's bench outscored DeSales' bench 23-9.

UP NEXT
The Knights (3-2) return to action at DeSales University on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.