DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Kevin Conroy scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to lead King's College to a critical, 77-70 road victory over Delaware Valley College in a Freedom Conference game.
The win was the fifth in the last six games for the Monarchs as they improved to 14-8 overall and 6-5 in the Freedom. It also moved them into a three-way tie with Delaware Valley and Misericordia University for third place in the league and behind only DeSales University (8-3) and Wilkes University (7-4).
The Aggies, who were in first place with a 6-1 conference record at the halfway point of league play, saw their overall record fall to 12-10 with their fourth consecutive loss. Three games remain in the regular season with the top four teams advancing to the Freedom Conference playoffs.
Conroy played just six minutes in the first half after picking up a pair of fouls. He made up for it in the second half as he went 8-for-17 from the field and 5-for-6 from the foul line while playing all but a few seconds in the stanza.
Conroy gave King's the lead as he hit a pair of free throws with 2:40 remaining to make it 69-68. The Aggies missed on their trip downcourt and Matt Fiorino drilled a 3-pointer to up the Monarchs' lead to four. Fiorino later added a free throw with a minute remaining for a 73-68 score.
Delaware Valley's James Jones was fouled eight seconds later and the senior hit two from the line to make it a one-possession game. With the shot clock winding down, Conroy missed a layup but grabbed his own rebound and was fouled. He hit both attempts for a 75-70 lead with 19 seconds remaining. Jones missed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds to go and, after a King's turnover, Jeremy Beckett missed a long attempt as well. Nick Reisig put the final two points on the board with a pair of free throws with one second remaining for the 77-70 final.
The Monarchs jumped out to a 10-point first-half lead despite Conroy being on the bench. They still held a 22-12 advantage at the midway point of the stanza when Delaware Valley scored nine straight, including four by Beckett, to pull to within one. The teams eventually went into the intermission tied at 27-27.
Conroy scored eight of King's first 13 points of the second half to help the squad to a five-point advantage. Back came the Aggies as they went on a 16-4 run, including eight off the bench from Nathan Bollinger, to take a 51-44 lead with 10:27 remaining. They were still up five three minutes later when the Monarchs answered with nine straight – five by Kyle Stackhouse – to go up. The teams then traded leads with Delaware Valley grabbing it last at 67-66 on a Bollinger jumper with 3:17 to go. However, Conroy and his teammates had the answers down the stretch for the win.
Fiorino finished with 15 points while Kyle Hammonds and Stackhouse had 14 and 13 points respectively. Stackhouse also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists. Reisig led the way on the glass with 15 rebounds.
Beckett and Chris Ellis finished with 17 points apiece to pace Delaware Valley. Beckett also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Bollinger had 16 points while Jones added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.