DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Delaware Valley men's basketball fell behind early and, despite rallying to within two points in the second half, dropped a 65–56 decision to Arcadia University on Monday night at home.
The scoreboard remained blank for the first 1:41 until Lyman knocked down a three-pointer for the Knights. After a turnover, Kamal Johnson finished a layup, and Antonio Redding followed with a three to give the Aggies their first points. Lyman answered with another triple before Jeremiah Lee converted a three-point play.
The teams traded baskets early, but N. Johnson put Arcadia ahead by three at the free-throw line with 13 minutes remaining. The Knights then went on a 9–0 run, fueled by rebounding, before Ryan Everett stopped the stretch with a bucket off a Johnson assist. Following a timeout, Brian Mordi threw down a dunk, and Mike Herrin trimmed the deficit to 22–20.
DelVal ran into foul trouble late in the half, allowing Arcadia to sink seven free throws along with a three from Darius to extend the lead to 12 with three minutes remaining. Everett and N. Johnson exchanged threes, while layups from Lee and Jake McGinty cut the deficit to 36–27 at the break.
Out of halftime, Lee and McGinty combined for a quick 5–0 run, and Lee added two more layups in the opening minutes to bring the Aggies within two. A block by Lyman led to a N. Johnson three, and the Knights gradually rebuilt a double-digit lead.
DelVal continued to battle, as Lee connected from long range following a defensive rebound by Zach Smith. Down 15 late, Johnson finished a layup and grabbed a rebound that led to a Smith three. N. Johnson and Mordi traded baskets, with Mordi's coming on a dunk, but Arcadia was able to run out the clock to secure the victory.
With the loss, the Aggies fall to 8–13 overall and 2–8 in MAC Freedom play. DelVal returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 11, traveling to Stevens Institute of Technology for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.
