DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Junior Chris LaBelle scored 28 of his career-high 36 points to lead the Centenary University men's basketball team to an 88-84 win at Delaware Valley on Wednesday night. Five players scored in double figures as the Cyclones won their third straight game.

LaBelle scored 30 or more points for the fourth time this season. His 36 points against the Aggies are not only a career-high but are tied for the third most in single-game history at Centenary. LaBelle is the eighth player in program history to score at least 36 points in a game and the first since Billy Veras did so against Clarks Summit last year.

"Chris had eight points at the half," said interim head coach Jason Geleski. "At halftime he asked for the ball. He's so talented and was hot so we fed him the ball. This was a great team win for us."

The two teams battled back-and-forth as lay-up from Veras gave the Cyclones a 10-9 edge at 15:57. Delaware Valley responded by scoring the next four points and took a 14-10 lead with 15:08 to go.

A three-pointer from sophomore Tyler White and a bucket from LaBelle put the Cyclones on top 15-14 with 13:57 to go until the half.

Delaware Valley scored nine of the next 10 points and took a 23-16 lead with 11:08 remaining in the period. Mike Cianciulli tallied five of the nine points in that stretch.

The two teams continued to battle as five straight points from freshman Owen Roberts III pulled the Cyclones to within two, 25-23 with 8:44 showing on the clock.

A triple from Veras tied the game at 28-28 with 7:38 to go.

The Cyclones and Aggies traded points over the final seven minutes of the period. A bucket from Delaware Valley's Dwayne Caine Jr. with 22 seconds on the clock sent the home team into the half with a 40-39 edge.

Delaware Valley scored seven of the first 10 points in the second half and pushed its lead to 47-42 with 18:01 to go in the game.

LaBelle and the Cyclones got hot from behind the arc as their next four baskets were all three-pointers. That allowed the visitors to turn a five-point deficit into a two-point advantage, 51-49 with 16:36 showing on the clock. LaBelle hit three of the four triples while graduate student Tom Weiler added one.

Four straight points from Delaware Valley gave the home team a 53-51 lead at 16:07.

A pair of free throws from Veras tied the game at 53-53 at 15:47. That was the first of six ties that the two teams would battle through over the next five plus minutes.

With the game tied at 63-63, Centenary went on an 8-3 run and grabbed a 71-66 advantage with 8:24 remaining in the game. LaBelle scored six of the eight points during that stretch.

The two teams traded points before five straight from the Aggies gave Delaware Valley a 74-73 edge with 6:40 left. That was the final lead of the night for the home team.

Buckets from LaBelle and freshman D'Angelo Blackmond gave the Cyclones the lead back for good, 77-74 with 5:48 to go.

The two teams battled on each end of the court down the stretch. The Cyclones went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes to seal the 88-84 win. LaBelle went 6-for-7 in that stretch while White hit the other two.

The Cyclones shot 42.6 percent from the field and drained 10 three-pointers. Centenary also went 26-for-34 from the foul line. Delaware Valley posted a 52.5 field goal percentage and went 14-for-20 from the charity stripe. The Aggies held a 36-34 edge in the rebounding battle.

In addition to his 36 points, LaBelle had a team-high eight rebounds and three assists. Veras contributed 13 points and six rebounds while White had 12 points and three assists. Roberts III came off the bench to score 11 while Blackmond had 10 points and five rebounds in his first appearance of the year.

Damian Washington and Jordan Tucker each had 18 points for Delaware Valley.

After playing six straight games on the road, the Cyclones return home on Saturday, Dec. 21 to host Penn State Berks. That game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.