DOYLESTOWN (PA) – After hitting just one of 10 attempts from 3-point land in the first half, Delaware Valley College exploded for an 8-for-13 effort in the final 20 minutes as the defending Freedom Conference champion Aggies moved into sole possession of first place with a 73-57 victory over Wilkes University.
The win improved Delaware Valley to 11-8 overall and 6-2 in the Freedom. The victory, combined with Misericordia University's home loss to FDU-Florham, left the Aggies atop the league standings. FDU-Florham and Misericordia are two of four teams (DeSales University and Manhattanville College are the other two) tied for second at 5-3. Delaware Valley travels to DeSales on Wednesday, February 5 as it looks to avenge a home loss to the Bulldogs in mid-January.
The Aggies, who entered the game ranked 14th in Division III in both 3-pointers per game (9.6) and 3-point percentage (41.3%), could not find their long-range shooting touch in the first half. They were also outrebounded 26-15, including a 12-3 edge in offensive boards. However, they still managed to take a 27-26 lead into the intermission as a strong defensive effort held Wilkes to 11-for-31 shooting (35.5 percent) and forced eight turnovers.
The Colonels (7-11, 2-6 Freedom) scored two of the first three points of the second half, both on free throws from Devin Dunn, to tie the contest. Delaware Valley then exploded for 14 straight points that began with a Jay Donovan drive for a basket and the ensuing free throw. Zach Sly and Zach Sibel had layups while Chris Moran (two free throws) and Francis Arnold (jumper) followed with two points apiece. After a pair of missed 3-pointers to make them 1-for-12 from beyond the arc, Nick Sullivan drained a trey to cap the 14-0 run and give Delaware Valley a 42-28 lead with 12:57 remaining.
That shot began a flurry of 3-pointers the rest of the way as they hit eight of their final 11 attempts. Dunn broke the Aggie spurt with a pair of free throws before Sullivan hit a bomb from the left corner to go 15. Wilkes then got its first field goal of half as Nic Wilkins hit a layup with 11:28 to go. The teams traded points to keep it a 13-point game before Arnold and Sibel hit back-to-back treys for a 56-37 advantage.
The Colonels got no closer than 14 points and that was at 64-50 with 4:10 remaining. The Aggies responded with a 9-0 run, including a trey from Sullivan, to end any thoughts of a comeback.
Arnold, who was back in the starting lineup after missing two games with an injury and seeing limited time earlier this week, had a big second half as he hit all five of his 3-pointers in the stanza and scored 16 of his game-high 25 points over those 20 minutes. He also had four assists and two steals,
Sly had 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals while Sullivan came off the bench to hit three treys and notch 11 points. Sibel had nine points while Moran added eight points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.
Steve Stravinski paced Wilkes with 13 points while Tyler Jackson came off the bench to contribute 10 points. Jimmy Brackett had eight points and eight boards in the loss.