ANNVILLE, Pa. – Delaware Valley men's basketball secured a mail-biting 58-54 victory over Lebanon Valley on Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies started strong, jumping out to a 7-0 lead, with
Jake McGinty contributing early. Meanwhile, the Dutchmen committed turnovers on their first six possessions. LVC bounced back to tie the game at 9 with six minutes gone, then took the lead shortly after.
Miles Demby responded with a three-pointer, and later,
Ryan Everett hit another three to put the Aggies back on top. The teams traded leads midway through the first half, with
Jordan Gombs going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, keeping the game tied.
Mike Herrin then came off the bench to put the Aggies ahead by five with a layup.
A leaping block by
Zoelin Pair helped set up back-to-back three-pointers by
Antonio Redding, extending the Aggies' lead to 10. Delaware Valley carried a 34-24 lead into the break.
LVC opened the second half with an 8-2 run, but both teams went scoreless for over three minutes before Pair stole the ball and assisted Redding for a fast-break score. Redding hit two more buckets near the midpoint of the half, shooting 5-for-6 during that stretch.
Mike Herrin then stole the ball, driving the length of the court for a floater. Two free throws from Pair gave the Aggies an 11-point lead with 8:55 left.
Lebanon Valley mounted a 7-1 run, mostly from free throws, but Pair answered with a layup to halt the Dutchmen's momentum. Three free throws from Ryan Harder brought LVC to within two points, as the Aggies went scoreless for over three minutes. With time winding down, three more free throws helped Delaware Valley maintain its slim lead.
With 56 seconds remaining, Coach Kaba called a timeout after Jason Penn's toe was on the line for a step-back jumper that cut the Aggies' lead to 55-54. Both teams then traded timeouts. Out of one of those timeouts, Pair recorded his fifth block of the game, but the rebound fell in favor of LVC, who called another timeout. On the ensuing inbound play, Gombs stole the ball, and Redding was fouled. He made both free throws to seal the win, as the Aggies held on for a narrow four-point victory.
With the win, the Aggies improve to 10-11 overall and 5-5 in the MAC Freedom. They will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 12, to host King's at 7:00 p.m.
