DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Jeremy Beckett scored 31 points while Jonathan Jernigan added a career-high 20 as Delaware Valley College snapped a nine-game losing skid with a 96-80, non-conference victory over visiting Berkeley College (NJ).
It was the final game outside of the Freedom Conference for the Aggies as they improved to 3-14 on the season. It was their first win since a 66-65, non-conference triumph over Arcadia University in early December. Monday's loss dropped Berkeley to 5-11.
Beckett hit eight of 15 shots from the field and was 15-for-18 from the foul line. The 31 points was three shy of matching his career high as the junior all-conference forward/center had 34 points earlier in the year against Hartwick College. Beckett added nine rebounds and three blocks on the evening.
Meanwhile, Jernigan hit from the outside as the junior transfer was 6-for-9 from the field, including a 5-for-6 showing from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds and five steals.
A Gary Williams, Jr. trey gave the Knights a 23-22 advantage with 5:13 remaining in the first half. Delaware Valley responded by outscoring Berkeley, 19-8, the rest of the way to take a 10-point advantage into the break. Beckett had 10 points in the run while Jernigan added five.
Delaware Valley upped the lead to 16 midway through the second stanza, but the pesky Knights would not go away and a Daniel Waynick layup made it a 75-66 ballgame with 6:04 on the clock. The Aggies scored eight of the next 12, but Berkeley responded with five straight to pull to within eight, 83-75, with 3:09 remaining. Delaware Valley finally put the game out of reach with a 9-3 spurt, including four by Nathan Bollinger.
Bollinger scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half while Daulton Derr came off the bench to contribute 10 points and eight rebounds. The two were combined 13-for-16 from the foul line as Delaware Valley, as a team, hit 37 of 49 attempts from the charity stripe. The Knights fouled late and often as they sent the Aggies to the line 32 times in the second half alone and Delaware Valley responded by hitting 24 of those attempts.
Waynick was outstanding in defeat for Berkeley as he was 11-for-14 from the field and 9-for-11 from the foul line for 31 points. He also added seven rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Terah Mingo added a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.