WILKES-BARRE (PA) – Senior swingman Jay Donovan was a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point land and finished with a game-high 22 points while Delaware Valley College used a 29-2 run over a nine-minute span to erase an 11-point deficit and defeat host King's College, 68-52, in the Freedom Conference opener for both teams.
The Aggies, who were picked as the preseason favorite in the Freedom coaches' poll, improved to 4-3 overall. They will host Eastern University for the final league game before the semester break on Saturday. King's saw its overall mark drop to 4-2.
Donovan got the starting nod for the first time this season and the move by head coach Casey Stitzel paid immediate dividends as the 22 points were the most by any Aggie in the first seven games of the year. He hit one trey in the first half before lighting up Scandlon Gymnasium with five more in the second half. Donovan was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and he grabbed six boards in 29 minutes of action.
Delaware Valley got off to a slow start on the road and found itself down by as many as 11, 24-13, with 4:07 remaining in the first half. Its defense clamped down while the offense scored the final 11 points of the half to even things up at the break. Francis Arnold began the run with two free throws followed by a 3-pointer. Nick Sullivan hit two from the charity stripe while Jose Ortiz came off the bench to sink a jumper and a layup for a 24-24 score.
The Aggies came out flying in the second half as they forced five turnovers in the first five minutes. Meanwhile, Donovan sank a pair of free throws but those two points were matched by a layup by the Monarchs' Chris Fazzini.
Delaware Valley then responded with 16 straight points to complete the 29-2 run. Six-foot-nine center Manny Ochenje, who was in foul trouble in the first half, scored the first four points while Sullivan added a jumper. Chris Moran and Ochenje hit back-to-back layups before Moran stepped outside to drain a 3-pointer. Donovan followed with a bomb and it was suddenly a 42-26 Aggie advantage with 15:09 remaining.
Delaware Valley bumped the lead up to as many as 18 and King's got its deficit down to single digits just one time. The Aggies finished 23-for-50 from the field, including a red-hot 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from beyond the arc. They held King's to 16-for-53 shooting (30.2 percent) as the Monarchs managed just one 3-pointer in eight tries.
Moran notched 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots on the evening. Arnold came off the bench to pour in 11 points while Ochenje had six points, nine rebounds and two blocks before fouling out.