Box Score

DOYLESTOWN - Bernard Edmonds (Exeter/Wyoming Area) came off the bench to score a career-high 22 points in 23 minutes for the Colonels but Delaware Valley got a spectacular performance from James Jones, as he scored 43 points as the Aggies ralled from 11 down to defeat Wilkes University 77-73 in Freedom Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

The Aggies, all alone at the top of the conference with a 6-1 mark, began their rally with 4:39 remaining, converting 6-of-9 from the field and 7-of-9 from the foul line to get the win.

A pair of free throws by Tyler Breznitsky (Freeland, PA/MMI Prep) gave the Colonels a 67-56 advantage before Delaware Valley slowly started chipping away at the lead. Two free throws by Jones and a steal by Nate Lewis with a fastbreak layup by Jones on the next possession brought the Aggies to within seven.

Both teams would trade baskets on the next couple possessions as the Colonels got key layups from Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) and Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) to get their lead back to nine with 2:53 remaining.

Delaware Valley responded with another Jones layup, followed by a lone free throw by Jones on the next possession and a layup from Jeremy Beckett the next time down the floor to cut the lead to four at 71-67 with 1:55 left. Another turnover by the Colonels followed by a foul put Jones on the line, where he would make both with 1:34 left to get to within two points.

Following an Aggies timeout, Wilkes again turned the ball over and Jones hit a three-pointer on the other end to give Delaware Valley the lead at 72-71 with 57 seconds left, its first since the 8:34 mark of the first half.

DeRojas responded with a jumper just 12 seconds later as the Colonels jumped back up on top. After a Wilkes timeout, Beckett got a second chance layup to put the Aggies back on top by one with 32 seconds left. He would block a DeRojas layup with 15 seconds left on the other end and a free throw by Jones after an immediate foul gave the Aggies a three-point lead with 11 seconds left.

Quickly bringing the ball down the floor, DeRojas got a look at the basket with a three-point try with four second remaining, but the ball would bounce out of bounds and Delaware Valley took over, getting an insurance foul shot in the final seconds to complete the comeback win.

After holding a 37-29 halftime lead, the Colonels were outscored 48-36 in the second half, even though they outshot the Aggies in both periods. The key was turnovers, as Wilkes had 17 total, with eight coming in the second half and four in the final 4:39.

The Colonels finished 31-62 from the field but only shot 10 foul shots, converting nine, and went 2-of-8 from three-point range. Delaware Valley shot 41.9 percent from the floor, going 26-62, and went 18-25 from the foul line, as Jones finished his day 16-of-18. Jones 43 points were just one shy of the school record, as he went 12-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three. He added six rebounds, five assists and three steals, playing in all 40 minutes.

Edmonds didn't miss during his career day, going 9-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line. He also grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots. DeRojas finished with 15 points while Hinze chipped in with 10 points.

The Colonels (9-7, 3-4) have lost two straight after winning six in a row. They'll look to get back on track on Monday as they host Penn College at the Marts Center. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.