DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – A second-half comeback fell short for the Delaware Valley men's basketball team, as they suffered a 94-86 loss to Gwynedd Mercy University despite scoring 53 points in the second half.
Mike Herrin led the Aggies with 24 points (9-15 FG), while
Zoelin Pair recorded his second double-double of the season, contributing 14 points and 14 rebounds. However, missed free throws ultimately hurt the Aggies, who finished with a 55.6% shooting percentage from the line.
The game began with
Jordan Gombs hitting a three-pointer for DelVal, but the Griffins responded with a 9-0 run.
Kamal Johnson answered with a pair of layups to keep the Aggies within reach, and after Herrin knocked down a three-pointer, DelVal trailed by just six.
Gwynedd Mercy then went on another run, extending their lead to 35-17 with 7:33 remaining in the first half. Four free throws from Herrin and Pair were quickly answered by Mazen Sayed, who scored a layup and a three-pointer. A couple of turnovers in the final minutes of the half allowed the Griffins to stretch their advantage to 20 points.
In the closing moments of the first half, the Aggies mounted a 9-0 run, sparked by three-pointers from
Reggie Washington,
Brendon Bradford, and
Antonio Redding. Despite the late push, Gwynedd Mercy led 54-33 at halftime.
The second half opened with the Griffins building their largest lead of the night, going up by 28 points with 13:43 left, capped by a three-pointer and free throws from Aquil Stewart.
However, the Aggies responded with five consecutive layups, beginning with a drive by Gombs, who followed with a pair of steals. Redding then stole the ball from Stewart and passed to Herrin for an easy layup. Redding added five points during a 9-2 run to help the Aggies trim the deficit.
With two minutes to go, Gombs secured a defensive rebound, which eventually led to Herrin cutting the lead to seven. Herrin then hit another shot to bring DelVal within six— the closest the Aggies would get, with 22 seconds remaining.
After falling to 2-2 on the young season, the Aggies are off until next Wednesday, November 27 at Centenary University. Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m. in Hackettstown, N.J.
