Hyde Park, N.Y. – The University of Valley Forge Men's Basketball team won their first road game in three seasons as they sprinted past the Steels of the Culinary Institute 101-49. With this statement win, the Patriots move to 7-4 on the season, respectively.
Seven different Patriots scored in the double-digits. Valley Forge was led by Aaron Hill who dished out 18 points with 8 rebounds, followed by Steven Eng who added 14 points, Owen Bradford gathered 12, Rafael Smith posted his first double-digit game of the season will 11 points, first-year Mauro Fernandez earned 11 points, while both Matthew Altamirano and Drew Grow contributed 10 points each.
"It feels good to finally get a road win," head coach DJ Damazo shared. "It is always challenging going into another environment to get a win, especially after a long bus ride and an emotional win this past Wednesday. We have a big week ahead of us with three games, so we look forward to getting back to work on Monday."
Valley Forge was able to keep the lead the entire 40-minutes, never allowing the Steels to make a significant run. Up 24-20, the Patriots began to find a steady grove, settling in with a 13-0 run to extend their lead to 23 points. With 3:48 remaining, freshman Alex Wilkins earned his first collegiate points from a layup assisted by Altamirano. As the clock ran down, the Patriots entered half-time with a 30-point lead.
In similar fashion, Valley Forge dominated the Steels in the second-half as they pressed the lead to a whopping 52 points to end the game with a 101-49 final.
As a team, the Patriots drained 37-88 from the field (42%), 9-36 from behind the arc (25%), and 18-28 from the charity stripe (64.3%).
Valley Forge forced an impressive 46 turnovers, allowing the Patriots to secure 39 points. In addition, the Patriots posted a 57-46 advantage on rebounds.
Valley Forge will continue their road stint as they travel to Morristown, NJ to College of St. Elizabeth on Wednesday, January 15th at 7 p.m.
