M-Basketball: #4 NJCAA DIII RVC Knocks Off #2 NJCAA DII Triton College
On Valentine's Day, #4 NJCAA DIII Rock Valley College won 87-75 over #2 NJCAA DII Triton College. The win snapped Triton's 17-game winning streak, as well as a 3-year streak of being undefeated in N4C play. Triton's last N4C loss, ironically, came on Valentine's Day 2015 at Rock Valley College. The Golden Eagles move to 24-5 overall.
"Our guys really wanted that game, and it showed in their grit," said Head Men's Basketball Coach
Evan Lavery. "Anytime you can beat a program like Triton, it is a big win. We prepared the right way for this game. We stayed together even when we about lost our lead in the second half. Hopefully us having success in this game reminds us how capable we are moving forward. There is a lot of basketball left to be played."
Triton started off the game red hot, connecting on several jump shots and leading 10-2 in the early going. The Golden Eagles stormed back. Once RVC took their first lead of the game, they never relinquished it. The Golden Eagles led 37-30 to enter halftime, and led by as much as 15 points early in the second half. The nationally ranked Trojans clawed back to cut the lead as little as 3 points, but timely RVC baskets held Triton off.
Sophomore
Darius Branch led RVC with 27 points.
Elijah Pappas filled the box score with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.
DeAnte Barnes contributed a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while
DeMari Davis added 14 points in the winning effort.
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles take on Madison College in their final regular season game of the year on Saturday, February 17th. Tip off is set for 3 PM in The Nest.Â
