IMMACULATA (PA) -- The Delaware Valley University men's basketball team tipped off its 2018-19 regular season on the road at Immaculata University and came away with the 75-66 victory behind double-doubles by three different players.
The Aggies are 1-0 on the year and the Mighty Macs are 0-1.
The game was tied at 6-6 after three minutes of play before a
Lybrant Robinson trey sparked a 14-2 DelVal run. The Aggies forced Immaculata into three turnovers during that stretch and sophomore
Damian Washington had a monster dunk and a couple blocks, and DelVal led 20-8 halfway through the first half.
The Macs scored the next six points to cut the deficit in half, but the Aggies maintained a 10-point lead at the break, 33-23, as their defense held Immaculata to 30-percent shooting through the first 20 minutes and scored 11 points off of turnovers.
Washington and Robinson got the first two baskets of the second to extend the lead to 14 points, 37-23. Immaculata scored 17 of the next 24 points to pull with four, 44-40, after five straight points from Jordan Ambrose.
Washington put an end to the spurt with another monster dunk as he drove baseline and rose up over a couple defenders for the flush. Senior
Andre' Butler followed with a 3-pointer to put the Aggies back up by double-digits, 52-41. The lead ballooned to as many as 19 after a
Lybrant Robinson jumper in the paint made it 62-43 with 6:20 left in regulation.
DelVal's defense had six steals, five blocked shots and force the Macs into 14 turnovers while holding them to 35.5-percent (27-for-76) shooting from the field and 28.6-percent (6-for-21) from beyond the arc.
The Aggies were 29-of-69 (42%) from the field, but just 3-for-11 (27.3%) from three-point land. Butler, Washington and
Alex Matsinye all recorded double-doubles led by Matsinye's game-high 19 points and 10 boards. Butler scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and Washington finished with 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Butler and Matsinye, the senior team captains each shot over 50-percent from the field and added a pair of blocks apiece.
Brandon McCullough led Immaculata with 17 points to go with six rebounds and Jordan Ambrose registered 13 points and five boards. Asa Kitchen was 4-for-7 from deep for 12 points and added three steals.
DelVal will be back in action on Thursday for its home-opener against Southern Virginia University at 7 p.m.
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