MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Delaware Valley fell to the No. 1 seed Wesleyan Cardinals on Friday night in their fourth NCAA tournament appearance, losing 72-50. JT Wright III led the Aggies with 15 points.
Zoelin Pair and the Aggies controlled the opening tip but quickly turned the ball over to the Cardinals. Kamal Johnson recorded an early block, with Pair securing rebounds before Wesleyan's Nicky Johnson sank a three-pointer two minutes in. Both teams started cold from the field, with the Aggies missing their first four shots and the Cardinals making just one of their first eight. Jordan Gombs put Delaware Valley on the board with a pair of free throws. Antonio Redding responded to two triples from Shane Regan with one of his own, but Wesleyan pulled ahead 11-5. Off the bench, Oscar Edelman beat the shot clock with a three-pointer out of the media timeout, extending the Cardinals' lead.
After a 3:02 scoreless stretch, Pair made a free throw to cut the deficit to ten, followed by Wright III, who had just checked in. The Aggies held Wesleyan scoreless for three minutes before Gombs converted a layup and completed a three-point play after being fouled, trimming the deficit to four. Wright III answered back-to-back layups by Josh Cameron, but the Cardinals maintained their momentum, building a 12-point advantage before another media timeout.
Leading by 15, Wesleyan went on a 10-0 run before committing its first turnover with five minutes left in the first half. Jeremiah Alexander broke the run by drawing a foul and making free throws. Johnson then found Pair under the basket for his first field goal before the final media timeout of the half, with the Aggies trailing 30-18. Jake McGinty got on the board with a jumper off the glass, followed by another from Gombs, who led the Aggies with seven first-half points. However, Delaware Valley trailed 39-22 at the break.
The Aggies failed to capitalize on two early Wesleyan fouls in the second half. Johnson fouled Nicky Johnson, who completed a three-point play for the first points after halftime. Delaware Valley didn't score until four minutes into the half, when Miles Demby drained a corner three, assisted by Ryan Everett, cutting the deficit to 46-25. Alexander and Sam Pohlman traded layups, and Johnson made his first field goal with 12:36 remaining.
Wright III took the team lead in scoring with eight points from the free-throw line and added a steal that led to another three-pointer, giving him 11 points. After a Wesleyan basket, Gombs found McGinty wide open for a layup, sparking a 9-2 Aggies run. However, the surge was halted by a three-pointer from Ben Lyttle near the halfway mark. Wesleyan responded with a 5-0 run out of a timeout before Redding dropped in a floater, bringing the Aggies within 22 points. Free throws from Alexander and Gombs accounted for Delaware Valley's only points during a prolonged scoreless stretch from the field. Coach Kaba called a timeout with 6:27 left.
Out of the break, Wesleyan extended its lead with a layup, but Wright III set a new career high with his 12th and 13th points at the line. Less than a minute later, he drove for another layup, making it 67-48. Lyttle sank his fourth three-pointer of the night as Delaware Valley endured another two-minute scoring drought. Gombs ended the skid with a basket off a Caleb Johnson assist, followed by Johnson himself scoring his first points with a layup.
With the win, Wesleyan advances to face Gettysburg College on Saturday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m.
