PHOENIXVILLE, PA – The University of Valley Forge Men's Basketball Team took on Penn State Schuylkill on Thursday evening.  After a closely contested first half, the Patriots were able to pull away in the second half and win by final score of 97-71.

The team's depth and ability to keep guys fresh really showed in this game.  There were several times throughout the night when Head Coach Jon Mack made substitutions in a hockey-like style.  Five guys would come off, and five new guys went in the game.  This seemed to really pay off in the second half as the Patriots wore down the Lions. 

However, in the first half, the game saw a lot of back and forth action.  The Patriots got out to an early 8-1 lead, but it evaporated quickly.  They held on to a slim margin in the first ten minutes, but then Lions' William Bracey tied things up at 24-24 with a pair of free throws at the 9:17 mark.  Bracey finished with a team-high 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Moments later, Nate Yost hit a jumper to give the Lions its first lead.  Valley Forge responded well and knotted it up at 33-33 a few minutes later.  Then, Brandon Rembert hit a 3-pointer, with 2:40 to play, to swing the momentum in favor of the Patriots.  They closed out the half holding a 42-37 advantage. 

Holding a 45-42 lead in the second half, the Patriots went on a 13-2 scoring run.  The run was capped off by an alley-oop dunk from Rembert to Joseph Taylor.  Valley Forge continued to build on their lead as they were forcing turnovers, 34 for the game, and moving the ball on offense to get open shots and lay-ups.  They shot 54.2% in the second half and 50.7% for the game.  With 13:13 to play, Jerome Staley rattled of eight straight points to give the Patriots a 71-51 advantage.  It was too much for the Lions to overcome and the Patriots went on to win 97-71.

Balanced scoring continues to be a trend for the Patriots.  On a night when their leading scorer, Kevin Mack, got into early foul trouble, the rest of the team carried the weight.  Brandon Rembert filled the stat sheet on this night.  He walked away with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.  Four other players also finished in double figures.  Jean LeBlanc netted 14 points.  Joseph Taylor and Jerome Staley each had 13 points, while Tony Hazzard had 10 points.  Devin Williams provided a lift off the bench as he had 5 points, 5 rebounds, and a game-high 4 steals.  Jalen Archer had a game-high 6 assists.

The Patriots will get the weekend off before hosting Cairn University on Monday night at 7PM @ The Pit!

Go Patriots!