PHOENIXVILLE, PA – The Valley Forge Christian College men's basketball team was able to defend home court on Saturday, against the visiting Kentucky Christian University Knights on what was the final night of the Holiday Inn Express Tip-Off Classic, 80-68.
 
The Patriots entered the game, after having split the first two games of the classic.  The Patriots fell to Lincoln Christian University on the first night, but bounced back to defeat Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College the following night.
 
Kentucky Christian University dropped both of their games leading into the third night.  After jumping out to an early lead on Day 2 in their game against Lincoln, they suffered an injury to their starting point guard, at which point the momentum seemed to shift back to Lincoln.  Lincoln ran away with the victory and remained unscathed after Day 2.
 
The Knights' starting point guard, Dylan Genung, wasn't back to full health and wouldn't be able to compete with his team against the Patriots on Saturday, but his teammates battled nonetheless.  Star forward, Caleb Ford, did everything he could to shoulder the burden, recording a tournament-high 38 points.
 
Despite leading from the tip, the Patriots struggled to pull away from KCU, as Ford's shooting performance, along with 19 team offensive rebounds, kept them in the game.  The Knights refused to go home without a fight.
 
In the end, Ford's scoring outburst wouldn't be enough to win.
 
The Patriots made free-throws down the stretch and finished with four players reaching double digits in scoring.
 
Junior Jean LeBlanc earned 17 points and three steals.  Senior Antonio Malone notched 13 points and nine rebounds.  Freshman Jonathan Kinyanjui tacked on 11 points.  Senior Lance Harris finished with 10 points, six assists, and two steals.
 
Also with significant statistical contributions were Emanuel Toms and Tony Hazzard.  Toms finished with 5 assists and 0 turnovers, while Hazzard earned nine rebounds.
 
Collectively, the Patriots shined at the free-throw line, where they made 16-of-17 try's.  The Patriots also maintained a 28-5 advantage in scoring production from the reserves.
 
With the victory, the Patriots improve to 4-1 and are slated for four more games before the New Year.  Next up for the Patriots is Penn State Brandywine on Tuesday, November 26 at the Pit.
 
GO PATRIOTS!