CHESTER, Pa. – Paul Reynolds scored a game-high 21 points and Jacquard Hagan added 20 more as the Wesley College men's basketball team defeated Delaware Valley, 78-72, on Saturday night to win the Widener Tip-Off for Autism Awareness Tournament at Skibo Gym. Reynolds was later named the Tournament MVP after averaging 19 points and seven rebounds in the two games.
A senior from Wilmington, Del., Reynolds continued his hot-shooting, making 8-of-11 shots, including a three, and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down six rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for Wesley was Quincy Pettiford and David Langan who both scored 12 points while adding seven rebounds. Pettiford was also named to All-Tournament Team.
Both teams shot well from the floor, but Wesley (2-0) got the upper hand by shooting 53.8% compared to 47.3% for the Aggies. The Wolverines also made 16-of-18 shots from the free throw line to go with 6-of-14 from behind-the-arc.
Wesley held a 36-35 lead at the half as Delaware Valley (0-2) scored the final seven points of the period to cut the deficit to a single point. The game was in doubt for much of the second half as well but the Wolverines began to pull away with just under seven minutes remaining.
Trailing, 60-58, Reynolds hit a pair of free throws to tie the game with 6:42 left, and he followed with four-straight points to give Wesley a four-point lead. Pettiford then drove to the hoop and converted on a three-point play the old-fashioned way to cap a 9-0 Wesley run.
A free throw by the Aggies cut the deficit to 67-61 in favor of the Navy & White, but Wesley quickly responded and got its lead to as many as 12 points with 1:07 left to play. The Aggies didn't go away, however, as they narrowed the gap to four after a trey by Nick Sullivan with 22 seconds left.
Delaware Valley then forced a turnover but missed on their half of the court before fouling Hagan with 14 seconds left. The junior wing from Fort Myers, Fla., then sealed the victory with a pair of free throws.
Jeremy Beckett led the Aggies with 17 points while Jay Donovan and Francis Arnold pitched in with 12 and 11, points, respectively.
The Wolverines return to action on Tuesday, November 20, when they host Neumann University in a 6 pm tipoff. Tickets for the game are $5 for adults and $2 for non-Wesley students with a college ID. Fans can also receive a dollar off admission with a canned food as Wesley wraps up its portion of the Capital Athletic Conference annual food drive.