If you want to get anywhere, don't fly close to stall. Gliding faster (at best L/D) will get you further and leave you more Options where zo put it down.
It's quite possible that they didn't want those options. It seems that there was only one optimal touchdown point; beyond the field lay more buildings. What's the use in gliding at best L/D to end up overflying the landing field and smacking into a building? They had what appears to be the only possible field in front of them (and a short field at that), with power lines in the way. Over, or under? If over, how to lose the excess height & energy?
It seems to me that looking through their windshield the crew might have thought it quite possible that their flight path would have landed them where they wanted to be, after passing under the power lines, and perhaps with a final pull on the stick (having read Think Like A Bird I assume an ATR's flaps don't travel as quickly as a Beaver's).
Then #2 decided to intervene.