IMMACULATA (PA) – The Delaware Valley University men's basketball team gave Mark Seidenburg a win in his head coaching debut as the defending Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom champions opened the 2016-17 campaign by pulling away to a 73-44, non-conference win at Immaculata University.
Seidenburg was an assistant at fellow MAC school Messiah College before taking over the reins of the Aggies in July. His first game saw his team never trail and they put on a defensive clinic as they held the Mighty Macs to 16.2 percent shooting from the field (11-for-68), including a five percent effort from 3-point land (1-for-20).
DelVal went on a 7-1 run midway through the first half to take a 19-11 advantage. An Immaculata basket followed, but the Aggies responded with the next four for a double-digit lead. The Mighty Macs fought back and trailed by just five, 29-24 at the break.
The next 20 minutes was all DelVal as the Aggies outscored Immaculata, 44-20. They hit seven shots from downtown and limited the Mighty Macs to just four baskets from the field on 39 attempts (10.3 percent).
Ryan Naccarato opened the stanza with a 3-pointer and Immaculata got one back on the foul line. DelVal then sprinted out to an 18-6 run that built its lead to 19, 50-31. Senior transfer Daniel Paulson hit a trio of bombs and had 11 points in the run.
The Mighty Macs notched the next four points before the Aggies put the contest away with 16 consecutive points. Five different players scored in the spurt, including returning all-conference guard Tyliek Kimbrough with five points.
DelVal, which shot 43.5 percent from beyond arc, was led by Alex Matsinye's 18 points. The sophomore also added seven rebounds and four assists. Senior Tyrea Williams had 10 points and 15 boards in his first collegiate start. Daniel Paulson and sophomore Mike Cianciulli came off the bench to drain 12 and 11 points respectively in a combined 32 minutes of action. The two helped the Aggies rack up a 37-9 advantage in points off the bench.
Immaculata was paced by Roy Ferrell, Jr's 12 points. Mike Piekarski added 10 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
The Aggies will take on host Gettysburg College at a tip-off tournament this Friday, November 18 (6 p.m.).