DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Delaware Valley men's basketball fell behind early but mounted a strong comeback to defeat King's College, 70-54.
Antonio Redding and
Zoelin Pair accounted for the Aggies' only points in the opening five minutes as the Monarchs quickly built a 16-4 lead. Seven minutes in,
Jordan Gombs responded for DelVal with back-to-back layups, before both teams went scoreless for the next two minutes.
Kamal Johnson and Chris Patton traded three-pointers, and Johnson went on to score the Aggies' next eight points. A layup from Redding brought the Aggies within five points. With 1:46 remaining in the half,
Miles Demby knocked down a three-pointer, and Pair capped the half with a dunk as the Aggies entered the locker room trailing 32-29.
In the second half, Johnson and Redding hit back-to-back shots to tie the game at 36 with 17:10 remaining. Redding and Pair then scored consecutive baskets, giving the Aggies their first lead with 13:30 left. DelVal continued to build momentum with a remarkable play from Pair, who dived to keep the ball in bounds, leading to a layup from Pair after a pass from
Jake McGinty.
King's went scoreless for four minutes before hitting a free throw to break their drought. After a basket from J.T. Wright III, the Aggies responded with an 8-0 run in the closing minutes of the game. The Monarchs added two free throws, but
Kamal Johnson answered with a three-pointer, pushing DelVal's lead.
With 3:00 left, the Aggies turned the ball over, and King's capitalized with a basket, cutting the lead to 62-49. King's Eamonn Walsh was called for a technical foul after an altercation with McGinty under the basket.
Antonio Redding made both free throws, extending the Aggies' lead to 64-49 with 2:37 remaining. In the final 40 seconds, Gombs found Pair open under the basket for a dunk, sealing the win with a final score of 70-54.
With the victory, the Aggies improve to 11-11 overall and 6-5 in MAC Freedom play. They will continue their conference schedule this Saturday, February 15th, against Arcadia University at 3:00 P.M.
