DOYLESTOWN (Pa.)--- After a three game losing streak, the Delaware Valley men's basketball team saw themselves in a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive and the Aggies used a balanced scoring attack to come away with a 63-60 win over Misericordia in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom play.
The Aggies (11-12, 6-8) started off the game hot, as Tyriq Toney-Bailey and Francis Robles Montas each knocked down triples to start the game. A layup by Justin Savage and three pointers from Toney-Bailey and Goddy March put the Aggies ahead 14-5 just five minutes in. DelVal would hold a 23-12 lead with 11:21 left in the first half before the Cougars (12-11, 7-7) scored five straight to trail 23-17 with seven minutes left. Teams went back and forth for the remainder of the first half, as the Aggies carried a 33-25 lead into the break.
DelVal shot 50% in the first half (12-of-24) while knocking down 6-of-13 three pointers. The Aggies held the Cougars to 31% shooting (8-of-26) and just 19% (3-of-16) from deep.
With DelVal holding a 36-27 lead two minutes into the second half, the Cougars rattled off a 10-0 run to take a 37-36 lead with 12:39 left, their first lead of the game. A Casey Caruso triple quickly gave the Aggies the lead back before Jordan Gombs completed three point plays on back-to-back possessions to cap off a 9-0 DelVal run, giving them a 45-37 lead with 10:09 left.
The Aggies held a nine point lead with six minutes left before the Cougars exploded for a 10-1 run, evening the score at 55-55 with 2:41 left. With 1:57 left, Godly Marc hit a contested three pointer, his only basket of the game, to put DelVal back in front. A pair of Cougar free throws trimmed the deficit to one. Goddy Marc got those points right back with a layup and after Justin Savage came up with a block, Goddy Marc finished a fast break layup to push the lead back to five.
A three point from Misericorida with 55 seconds left brought the Cougars to within two at 62-60. After Misericorida was forced to foul, DelVal missed the front end of a one-and-one to give the Cougars possession back. Savage once again came up with a block for the Aggies and DelVal eventually sent Godly Marc to the free throw line for a pair of three throws. Marc hit the first and missed the second giving Misericordia one last change to tie it up, but a late three pointer was off the mark, as DelVal held on for the 63-60 win.
Goddy Marc led DelVal with 11 points and was the only Aggie in double figures. Justin Savage and Francis Robles Montas each had nine points while Jordan Gombs had eight. In total, ten different players scored. Zoelin Pair and Gombs tied for a team-high six rebounds.
With the win, the Aggies sit one game behind Misericordia for the fifth and final MAC Freedom playoff spot and one and a half games behind Arcadia for the fourth spot. DelVal also sits tied at 6-8 in sixth place with Wilkes.
DelVal will round out their schedule with a matchup at FDU-Florham at 6 p.m on Tuesday, February 14th followed by a home contest against Wilkes on Saturday, February 18th at 3 p.m.
