ANNVILLE, Pa. – Down by six late in the second half, the Delaware Valley men's basketball team forced overtime, but ultimately fell 79-76 to Lebanon Valley on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams struggled to find rhythm early, with misses piling up through the first two-and-a-half minutes before a turnover led to a Bandy layup to open the scoring. Brian Mordi and Jake McGinty responded with back-to-back three-pointers to give DelVal a 6-4 edge. Following a driving layup by Kamal Johnson, Sejuste scored four straight to tie the game at eight.
Two free throws from Johnson and a steal by Ryan Everett led to Jeremiah Lee finishing at the rim, pushing the Aggies ahead by six with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Mike Herrin traded buckets with the Dutchmen, and when LVC closed within one, JT Wright buried a three-pointer to keep DelVal in front. That shot sparked a 10-0 Aggies run before a Penn layup halted the momentum. Lebanon Valley answered with an 8-0 run of its own to close the half, sending the teams into the locker room tied at 30.
Out of the break, the teams traded scores before a Melvin three gave the Dutchmen the lead. DelVal responded with two free throws and a Lee layup to regain a 39-37 advantage. Antonio Redding, limited offensively early, tied the game with a layup off a steal by MarQuel Fitzgerald before snapping a 6-0 LVC run with a pull-up jumper. Tang answered on the other end, and Lebanon Valley pushed its lead to six during a DelVal scoring drought.
Herrin cut into the deficit at the line, and after a layup by Unangst, Johnson drilled a three-pointer to keep the Aggies within striking distance. Kerlin hit three free throws before Redding converted a jumper and a three-point play to make it 56-53. A DelVal turnover led to a Melvin three, but Herrin and Pavlik traded layups as the Dutchmen stretched their lead to 65-59.
Redding and Herrin answered again, with Redding knocking down a three and Herrin finishing a layup off a Johnson rebound to tie the game at 67 with just over a minute remaining. Both teams committed turnovers late, and Herrin's step-back jumper at the buzzer came up short, forcing overtime.
Lebanon Valley opened the extra frame on a 6-0 run, aided by two Aggies turnovers. Redding responded with a step-back three, and free throws pulled DelVal within one. Redding then forced a turnover, and Herrin hit at the line to briefly put the Aggies ahead 74-73. After another DelVal turnover, Sejuste scored to regain the lead, and two free throws from Penn pushed the margin to three. Redding answered with a jumper, but Tang sealed the game at the line before Redding's deep three attempt rimmed out at the buzzer.
With the loss, the Aggies fall to 9-8 overall and 2-4 in MAC Freedom play. DelVal returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at Misericordia.
