Phoenixville, PA – The University of Valley Forge Men's Basketball team played host to the Cougars of Medgar Evers College on Friday evening.  The Patriots played a complete 40 minutes of basketball to pick up their first win of the year 88-77 over Medgar Evers. 
 
MEC jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead and would hold an 8-point advantage for the first five minutes of the ballgame.  On the Patriots next possession, Alex Sanchez nailed a three to bring the Patriots within 5.  After forcing a wild shot, UVF's Todd James connected from long range.  The back to back Patriot triples brought the Cougar lead down to just 2.  Valley Forge continued to answer each Cougar point.  At the 12-minute mark in the first half, the Patriots claimed their first lead of the game.  Alex Sanchez drove into the paint and laid it up and in to give UVF a 1-point advantage 24-23.   The Patriots used a quick 8-3 run to open up a 4-point lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. 

Later in the half and Valley Forge clinging to a 4 point lead, Alex Sanchez would again convert on a layup.  Moments later, Emanuel Toms drilled a three and along with another Sanchez layup the Patriots found themselves up by 11 with under 2 minutes remaining in the first half.     MEC's Justin Sutton made a three for the Cougars in the final minute to bring the Patriot lead down to 8.  At the half it was UVF 46 and MEC 38.

Two quick Cody Collins buckets increased the Patriot lead to 13 in the opening minute of the second half.  Medgar Evers would not go down quietly.  The Cougars shot their way back into the game with 13-0 run to tie the game at 51-51 in the early stages of the 2^nd half. 

The back and forth play continued with each team trading buckets.  Then something happened.  The Patriots came out of a timeout and made a commitment to the defensive end.  Each player slapped the ground in unison and it electrified the crowd.  Feeding off of the energy from the fans, UVF went on a 17-3 run over the course of the final 5 minutes that pushed the Patriot lead to 84-71.  Todd James knocked down 4 free throws in the final minute to seal the Valley Forge win.  The Patriots beat Medgar Evers by a final score of 88-77. 
 
Coaches Quote: "I am so proud of our guys and the toughness they showed tonight.  We practiced them really hard this week and really focused on the basics of our defense.  Our guys responded with a terrific defensive performance.  I hope we can build upon this as we have another game in about 15 hours against a tough Messiah team." – DJ Damazo

"I also want to give a shout out to our fans.  They provided a great environment to play and our guys fed off of their energy."  - DJ Damazo
 
A Look at the Numbers
Four Patriots scored in double-figures this evening.  Alex Sanchez led UVF with 25 points and 6 rebounds.  Emanuel Toms had a strong game with 19 points which is the most points he has scored in a single game in his UVF career.  Sean Word continues to be a monster on the boards.  Word finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds.  That is his 4^th double-double of the year.  Todd James added 12 point for UVF.  Valley Forge moved the ball well on offensive.  UVF had 15 assists throughout the contest.    

Up Next
The Patriots will be right back on the floor on Saturday, January 20^th when they travel to Messiah College.  Game time is set for 1:00 pm.