KNOXVILLE, TN – In similar fashion as the previous night, the University of Valley Forge Men's Basketball Team overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the Johnson University Royals for the second time this year, 75-70.  This match-up featured two young squads, with the Patriots having the only two seniors on the court.

Neither team was able to grab control of the game in the first half.  With four lead-changes and four ties in the first half alone, this game was shaping up to go down to the wire. 

Jean LeBlanc paced the Patriots in the first half, scoring 8 of his 10 points in the opening frame.  Jerome Staley also provided a spark off the bench.  He netted 6 of his 8 points and dished out 2 of his 4 assists in the first 20 minutes.

A layup from David Whitaker gave the Patriots a five-point lead, 29-24, with 2:34 remaining in the first half.  Facing their biggest deficit of the game up to that point, the Royals responded by going on a 10-2 scoring run to close out the half.  For the second straight game, the Patriots found themselves trailing at the half, 34-31.

The start of the second half was much of the same back and forth action as seen in the first half.  In the first six minutes of the second half, the teams traded leads five times, and were tied on three occasions.   The last lead change of the game, at the 13:54 mark, came by the hands of Jonathan Kinyanjui.  With the Patriots trailing 48-46, his 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 scoring run.  A few minutes later, Jerome Staley grabbed an offensive rebound and put it up and in to give the Patriots a 65-56 lead.  Valley Forge seemed to be in command.  However, with the shot clock running down on the Royals next possession, Kenny White hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.  The sizeable home crowd went crazy and the Royals fed off the momentum.  They managed to pull the game to within one, 67-66, with 3:37 remaining.

What happened next was something the Patriots haven't seen a lot of this year.  Tony Hazzard, having only four 3-point attempts on the season, was left alone at the top of the key.  Staley drove the lane and kicked it out to Hazzard.  In rhythm, Hazzard put up the long range shot, hitting nothing but net and silencing the crowd.  The Patriots lead was now 70-66.

Still holding a four point lead with under a minute remaining, the Patriots stingy defense came up with a big steal.  Kinyanjui came up with one of his game-high 5 steals and Brandon Rembert sealed the game at the free throw line.  Valley Forge held on to win 75-70. 

Asked about how the team was able to come away with a victory, Patriots' Assistant Coach Tim Pomerhn said, "We persevered through some difficult circumstances.  Our foul shooting was a key factor.  We got to the line in the second half and our guys converted.  We did what it took to win."  The Patriots went to the free throw line 20 times in second half, making 15 of the attempts.  Rembert was 9 for 11 from the line and Kevin Mack was 7 for 11 for the game. 

Rembert had a game-high 19 points.  Mack followed with 13 points and 5 rebounds.  LeBlanc was the only other Patriot in double figures with 10 points.  Staley had 8 points and a team-high 4 assists.

The Patriots are 3-0 on the week, and 14-8 overall.  They finish off the long road trip tomorrow at The Crown College.  The game will be played at 2PM and can be watched LIVE @ http://thecrowncollege.com/live/
 
Go Patriots!