PHOENIXVILLE, PA – Playing for the fifth time in seven days, the University of Valley Forge Men's Basketball Team went up against New Jersey City University on Monday, February 16th.  It was Senior Night for the Patriots.  Jean LeBlanc and Kevin Mack were honored for their four-year playing careers.  The game came down to the wire, with NJCU winning on a layup in the final seconds, 71-70.

On NJCU's first bucket of the game, Khalid Muhammad eclipsed the 1000^th point mark for his career.  The Patriots countered by going on 8-0 run and taking an early six point lead.  NJCU clawed its way back, eventually tying the game at 24-24 after a 3-pointer from David Cole.  Cole, coming off the bench for the Knights, kept finding ways to get open and knocked down his shots.  He scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half, including two from behind the arc.  After a bucket from each team, Cole scored 9 straight points and helped give the Knights a 39-32 advantage.  LeBlanc and Mack closed out the half with back-to-back jumpers to bring the Patriots to within five at the break, 43-38.

Another 3-pointer from Cole gave the Knights its biggest lead of the game, 53-44, with 15:24 remaining.  Still trailing by nine with 9:01 remaining, the Patriots went on 7-1 run to close the gap to three.  The rally was capped off by a Joseph Taylor dunk and the Knights immediately called timeout. A few minutes later, Taylor tied the game at the free throw line with 4:39 remaining.  Then, a layup from LeBlanc and a 3-pointer from Taylor gave the Patriots a five point lead, 70-65, with 2:57 remaining.  It appeared the Patriots, in front of a raucous home crowd, had all the momentum they would need to go on to win.  However, the Patriots did not find the bottom of the net for the rest of the game.  Back-to-back layups from Muhammad and Drew Marley closed the gap to 70-69 with 48 seconds remaining.  The Knights needed a stop, and they got one on a Taylor missed 3-pointer.  They got the ball up the court and called timeout with 12 seconds remaining. 

Knights' 6-foot-8 Eddie Brown is a big man.  For the first 39 minutes the Patriots found a way to limit his opportunities, only scoring two points from the free throw line.  However, on the Knights' final possession, Joseph Neville, got the ball at the high post and found Brown wide-open underneath the basket.  He put it up and in to give NJCU the lead, 71-70.  A desperation shot would not fall for the Patriots and the Knights walked away with the victory. 

Seniors' Kevin Mack and Jean LeBlanc, playing their final home game, did all they could to grab a win for the Patriots.  LeBlanc had 18 points and 4 rebounds.  Mack had 15 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals.  Joseph Taylor had a big night as well, scoring 18 points, including 3-7 from 3-point range.

The Patriots will now get some much needed rest, before a weekend match-up with Central Penn College in Summerdale, PA.  The Knights of Central Penn are 14-7 on the season and should give the Patriots all they can handle.

Go Patriots!