The Bulldogs (3-2, 1-0) held a 30-26 halftime lead but came out on fire in the second stanza as they hit 18 of 24 shots from the field and were also 15-for-19 from the foul line.
The Aggies (1-4, 0-1) pulled into the lead just two minutes into the second half as Isaiah Pinckney’s 3-point play made it a 33-32 ballgame. However, DeSales scored 12 of the next 14 points to build a nine-point lead and Delaware Valley never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Jamie McCloskey led a balanced Bulldogs attack with 15 points. Ed Lapinski was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and added 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Phil Stricker also hit for 12 points while Jeff Raimo added 10.
Josh Taylor paced the Aggies with 13 points and eight boards. Zack Van Dyke hit for 12 while Ryan Thomas and Jason Seipt added 11 and 10 points respectively. Pinckney, the team’s leading scorer at more than 25 points per game, was held to 4-for-12 shooting and finished with nine points in 28 minutes.