Grantham, PA - The University of Valley Forge Men's Basketball team traveled to Grantham, PA on Saturday afternoon for a game against the Messiah College Falcons.  After cutting the falcon lead to 9 late in the second half the Patriots were unable to close the gap and fell by a final score of 85-74.

The Patriots kept things close midway through the first half.  A 6-0 run that started with a three from Bariq London, a free throw from Alex Sanchez and a layup from Arthur Wilborn helped tie the game at 14-14.  From that point the Falcons took control of the first period.  Messiah used a 15-5 run to open up an 10 point lead 29-19.  A 5-0 Messiah run just before halftime gave the Falcons a 46-29 lead going into the locker room.  

Down by as many as 28 in the second half, the Patriots could have easier packed it in and called it a day but this team continues to show that they will play a full 40 minutes of basketball and not give up.  UVF went on a tear with 13 minutes left in the game.  They would score the next 29 out of 40 points that was capped off by a 3 from Bariq London.  London's triple brought the Patriots to within 9 with just under 2 minutes to play.  Unfortunately for Valley Forge, the Falcons converted on 11 or 12 free throw attempts in closing minute to seal the win 85-74.  

A Look at the Numbers 

Five Patriots scored in double figures: Alex Sanchez led UVF in scoring with 16 points, Todd James added 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Sean Word had 10 points and 6 boards.  Bariq London (15) and Arthur Wilborn (10) came off the bench and provided a much needed spark.  They were instrumental in bringing the Patriots all the way back from being down by 29 points.  

Up Next
The Patriots will be back on the road on Tuesday, January 20th when they travel to Penn State Mont Alto.  Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm. 

Go Patriots!