VIRGINIA BEACH (VA) – The greatest season in Delaware Valley College men's basketball history came to an end on Saturday evening as the Aggies fell to 25th-ranked and perennial national power Virginia Wesleyan College, 76-61, in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
For the Marlins, who have been to the NCAAs in each of the last nine season and who were ranked number one in the preseason this year, they improved to 22-7 on the season and will meet archrival Christopher Newport University in next Saturday's second round.
For Delaware Valley, which lost to Virginia Wesleyan by 30 in the NCAA playoffs two years ago, the 2012-13 concluded with a school-record 19 wins (19-9), their second Freedom Conference championship and their second trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs. After years of futility, including a 3-22 overall record and a winless mark in conference play the season before head coach Casey Stitzel's arrival, the Aggies have certainly reversed their fortunes
"I couldn't be more proud of our team. Their effort was tremendous and they have nothing to be ashamed of with tonight's performance," Stitzel, who had led Delaware Valley to 69 wins and the two conference crowns in his five years at the helm said. "We played a team that is a national power and we battled them to the end.
"I told our kids afterwards that we have placed ourselves among the best in the region. To get to the next level, the national level, we have to defeat teams like the one we played tonight."
A crowd of 1,410, including a group of 50 Delaware Valley students who made the six-hour journey from Doylestown on a chartered fan bus, filled The Batten Center. The Aggies jumped out to a 10-5 lead after Jeremy Beckett hit a jumper with 16:26 remaining and it took a three-point lead into the first media timeout.
It was deadlocked at 18-18 after Zach Sly slashed through for a layup near the midway point of the half. However, the rest of the stanza belonged to the Marlins as they outscored the Aggies, 15-6, to take a 33-24 advantage into the break. Beckett had 10 points in the half, but Delaware Valley missed all four of its attempts from 3-point land. Meanwhile, Virginia Wesleyan was 5-for-13 from beyond the arc and had just two turnovers.
Tre' Ford, who had 12 points for the Marlins in the first half, opened the second with his third 3-pointer of the game. The Aggies scored four of the next five, including a Daulton Derr trey with 17:20 remaining, to make it a 37-28 contest. Virginia Wesleyan responded with five straight for its biggest lead of the game at 14.
The Marlins upped the lead to 18, 54-36, before drives by Jay Donovan, Sly and Francis Arnold made it 54-42 as the clock ticked under the nine-minute mark. However, Virginia Wesleyan responded with eight of the next 12 and built the advantage to 21.
Delaware Valley showed its grit by ending the game with six straight points, including a follow-up dunk by Beckett with 1:18 to go. Beckett and Derr, the two seniors on the roster, were lifted from the game after the team's final bucket with 23.8 seconds.
Beckett notched his 18th double-double of the season as he finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. The 2013 Freedom Conference Player of the Year and three-time all-conference honoree ended his standout career as the Delaware Valley's all-time shot blocker with 261 rejections, including 75 this season (he holds the number one, two and three slots on the single-season list). Beckett's 967 career rebounds places him third in that category while his 1,484 points put him fifth on the all-time scoring list.
Derr, who transferred in two years ago, had all 10 of his points in the second half. Sly finished with 10 points while Donovan had eight points. Arnold finished with four points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Ford was 4-for-6 from 3-point land and notched 20 points for Virginia Wesleyan. DJ Woodmore, the national rookie of the year two years ago who was questionable for tonight's contest due to an injury, added 15 points in 24 minutes. Chris Teasley added 11 points and nine boards.