PHOENIXVILLE, PA-In the second round of the Holiday Inn Express Tip-Off Classic, the University of Valley Forge's men's basketball team pulled off one of the most exciting comebacks in recent years against Trinity Baptist College.  Down by 19 points early in the second half, the Patriots rallied against the Eagles to overcome their deficit and defeat the Eagles by a final score of 73-64!

The Patriots and the Eagles were both coming off first round Classic wins and were seeking to make it two in a row.  In the first half, solid team play from the Eagles kept the visitors ahead of the Patriots.  Valley Forge managed to tie the game three times but careless shots and sloppy passes held the Patriots down.  The team's 13 turnovers and 38% shooting left them trailing 20-36 going into halftime.

As the second half began, the Patriots were set to change the tone of the game.  After allowing one more shot for the Eagles to go down, 20-39, the Patriots began to play as one on the floor, constantly passing the ball and penetrating the gaps to keep the Eagles guessing which shooter would finish the ball off.  Leading the charge was Kevin Mack, who went on a five-point run to stir up the crowd and rally his team. 

Then at 14:37 came the dunk.  As both teams increased their pressure, the Patriots needed a little something extra to completely turn the tide in their direction.  That something extra came from Stacy Thomas as Devin Williams gave him the perfect pass to dunk the ball and cause both the team and crowd to erupt.
From there, there was no going back.  Shot by shot the Patriots depleted the Eagles lead and with 8:24 left in the game, Valley Forge grabbed the lead!  But the Eagles wouldn't go down without a fight, refusing to let the Patriots get behind a six points lead.  Twice the Eagles got within one point of the Patriots but couldn't push themselves over the ridge.

As time ran out the Patriots capped their lead with several free throws to end the game with a nine-point cushion, 73-64!

The Patriots shot 51% from the floor in the second half compared to 38% in the first half.  In addition, the team committed just four turnovers in the second half but forced 10 turnovers against the Eagles.


Kevin Mack walked away with 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and one steal.  Stacy Thomas recorded 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.

The Patriots look to make it three straight wins as they take on Johnson University (TN) in the final round of the HEI Tip-Off Classic.  The teams play, Saturday, November 22, with a 6PM start time.

Go Patriots!