DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Delaware Valley men's basketball saw a late lead slip away and, despite forcing overtime, fell to DeSales University 88-84 on Saturday afternoon in MAC Freedom action.
Jake McGinty opened the scoring with a steal that led to a fastbreak layup by JT Wright. The Aggies quickly jumped out to a 9-2 advantage behind baskets from Antonio Redding and Wright, including a three-pointer. After Brian Mordi completed a three-point play seven minutes in, DeSales answered with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 12. Buzby briefly gave the Bulldogs the lead before Wright responded with a three off a Redding assist. Mike Herrin scored inside, and a steal by Kamal Johnson sent him to the line to keep it even. Redding knocked down another three as the teams traded free throws, but a Thomas three at the buzzer sent DeSales into halftime ahead 41-37.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to nine early in the second half before Redding sparked a comeback with a three-point play and a jumper following a turnover. Glassmacher connected from deep for DeSales, but steals by Redding and Johnson fueled a DelVal surge, capped by another Redding basket to reclaim the lead. Threes from Wright and Johnson pushed the Aggies ahead by nine with 9:05 remaining. DeSales answered with layups from Gladue and Thomas, trimming the margin, but Herrin drilled a timely three off a Brendon Bradford assist to slow the run.
With just over a minute remaining, Redding found McGinty for a jumper in the paint, but Gladue answered with a three. Thomas put the Bulldogs up one before Kahn split a pair at the line. Redding was fouled with two seconds left and calmly sank both free throws to force overtime.
In the extra frame, DelVal struggled to find a rhythm offensively, shooting just 1-for-6 from the floor despite going 6-for-6 at the line. A dunk by Domingo gave DeSales early momentum, and Thomas added a fastbreak layup. Keppel sealed the game at the stripe in the final seconds as the Bulldogs pulled away for the 88-84 win.
With the loss, the Aggies move to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in MAC Freedom play. DelVal returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 14, on the road at FDU-Florham.
