BRYN ATHYN (PA)---Delaware Valley men's basketball held a 14 point lead with 11 minutes left and held off multiple runs from the host Bryn Athyn to pick up their third win of the season, 78-72, and get back to .500 on the season.
Both teams got off to a slow start, as the first basket of the game came on a Matt Paulus layup over three minutes in. After the Aggies (3-3) led 5-2, Bryn Athyn (0-3) scored the next seven points to hold a 9-5 lead. The Lions continued to surge, as after a Godly Marc layup brought DelVal back to within two, the Lions went on a 12-2 run, giving them their largest lead of the game at 21-9 with 11:22 remaining in the first half.
Dariel Medina scored the next five points for the Aggies and Marc scored five consecutive points of his own to cap off a 10-2 Aggie burst to trim the lead to 24-19. The Lions quickly answered and extended their lead to 30-21 after a Haybert Louchie three pointer with 7:39 left in the half.
With the Bryn Athyn lead sitting at 34-28 with just under five minutes left, Matt Paulus strung together an 8-0 run by himself, with two triples and a jumper in the paint, giving DelVal a 36-34 lead. The Aggies led 37-36 with 1:54 left in the half and used another big burst, this time a 10-0 run, to take a 47-36 advantage into the break. The run was started by a pair of Marc free throws. Paulus connected from beyond the arc, then Jordan Gombs followed with a three pointer of his own. Gombs then came away with a steal and converted it into a layup on the other end in the final seconds of the half.
The Aggies kept the Lions at arms length for the first portion of the second stanza, as Bryn Athyn got as close as 49-44 over the first three minutes. A Nestor Diaz layup gave DelVal a 55-47 lead five minutes in, but a Haybert Louchie triple brought the Lions back to within five.
The Aggies then strung together their best stretch of the second half. Thomas Ibidapo scored four points and Pernell Ghee contributed five over a 2:39 stretch, extending the DelVal lead to 64-50, their largest of the game, with 11:15 left.
Bryn Athyn would not go away quietly, as the Lions came storming back. Noah Riley made a layup and Isaiah Cureton hit a three pointer to trim the lead to nine. Jordan Gombs briefly halted the run, bring the DelVal lead back to 11 after a layup with 10:15 left. The Lions would then score the next ten points over a 3:59 stretch to trail 66-65. During that time, the Aggies shot 0-9 from the field.
Jordan Gombs converted an old-fashioned three point play, ending the Bryn Athyn run to bring the Aggie lead to 69-65. Bryn Athyn would score the next four points however, tying the game at 69-69 with 3:40 left, the first tie since 34-34 late in the first half.
Pernell Ghee put the Aggies back in front, 71-69, with 2:40 left. The Lions split a pair of free throws on their next possession, trimming the DelVal advantage to one. With just under 90 seconds left, Nestor Diaz knocked down the biggest shot of the night from beyond the arc, bringing the lead back to two possessions at 74-70.
Derrick Orr Jr. hit a pair of free throws for the Lions with 1:02 left, making it 74-72. The Aggies missed a one-and-one on their next possession, allowing Bryn Athyn a chance to tie or take the lead with under 40 seconds remaining.
After some good ball movement, Orr Jr. drove the lane and made a layup, but it was waved off after Jordan Gombs took a charge with 19 seconds left. Matt Paulus and Pernell Ghee each hit two free throws to finish the game and give DelVal a 78-72 win.
Matt Paulus led the way for Delval, finishing with a season-high 18 points on 6-14 shooting and 4-10 from beyond the arc.
Godly Marc contributed 14 points, knocking down five of 10 shots from the floor. He added five rebounds and four steals. He now has four or more steals in all but two games this season.
Jordan Gombs added 12 points for the Aggies to go along with season-highs in multiple categories: seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Delaware Valley shot 46.9% from the field (30-64) and assisted of 20 of their made baskets, a season high for the team. They outrebounded Bryn Athyn 39-30, grabbing 14 offensive boards.
