DALLAS, Pa. – Zoelin Pair and
Antonio Redding delivered impressive performances to lead the Aggies to a 73-61 victory in their first conference game of the season at Misericordia University.
Redding opened the scoring by hitting the first seven points of the game, six of which came from a pair of three-pointers before the Cougars could sink their first basket. Soon after, Redding drained another long-range shot, followed by a score from
Jeremiah Alexander to give the Aggies a six-point advantage. Near the midpoint of the first half, Misericordia briefly took the lead, their first and only lead of the game, when
Mike Herrin converted a layup while being fouled and capitalized on the ensuing free throw.
With just under five minutes left in the half, Alexander stole the ball and raced downcourt for a dunk. A block from Pair, his third of the half, allowed
Kamal Johnson to push the ball down the floor for a fast-break score. Redding and Arvel Chandler then traded three-pointers, but another bucket from Johnson sent the Aggies into the locker room with a 38-34 lead.
The second half saw the Aggies and Cougars exchange possessions and scoring through the first five minutes. A scoring drought was finally broken by Jack Gallagher, who briefly threatened to retake the lead for Misericordia. However, Johnson and Alexander teamed up for an 8-2 run, extending the Aggies' lead to seven points. Six consecutive missed shots from the Aggies allowed Misericordia to close the gap to just two, but Pair dominated the boards, finishing the game with a career-high 19 rebounds. In the paint, Herrin added a layup, putting the Aggies up 64-54 with five minutes remaining.
A late three-pointer by Redding, who finished 8-9 from beyond the arc, and another dunk by Alexander sealed the victory in the Aggies' 2024-25 conference opener.
Following the win, the DelVal men's basketball team improved to an even 6-6 overall and 1-0 in the MAC Freedom. The Aggies will return home on Saturday, Jan. 11, to host Lebanon Valley College at 3:00 p.m.
