VALLEY FORGE, Pa. – Penn College won its season opener with a 117-105 win over Valley Forge in a non-conference men's basketball game Tuesday. The Wildcats improved to 1-0, while the Patriots fell to 1-1.
How it Happened: Penn College built a 22-9 lead after a pair of
Fred Young free throws with 13:36 left in the first half. Valley Forge pulled within six, 23-17, with 10:40 left before the break and made it a one-point game, 41-40 with 4:20 on the clock, but Penn College finished the half with a 15-5 run to take a 56-45 halftime lead.
Young's jumper with 5:46 left in the game gave Penn College its largest lead, 105-85, and its lead never dipped below nine the remainder of the game.
Inside the Box:
Ben Sosa recorded a double-double with a game-high 20 points and a game-best 13 rebounds, while
Carson Garvis also notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Damon Kreider finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, Young added 17 points, and
Mason Bossert finished with 14 points.
Valley Forge had four players reach double figures, led by Aaron Hill's game-high 28 points.
Penn College had a 70-44 rebound advantage, including 41 on the defensive end.
Outside the Box: Penn College won its first season-opener since a 113-99 win over Penn State DuBois in 2016 when Sosa also recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
"I'm very proud of how we competed as a team tonight. We played hard for a full 40 minute game with fantastic energy and effort. We had some key players get in foul trouble but the guys who came off the bench kept the momentum alive," said Penn College coach
Geoff Hensley. "Our effort on both the offensive and defensive glass was outstanding. I've coached college basketball for 10 years and I don't believe I've ever seen a team with 70 total rebounds."
"I'm excited about the potential of this team. We have work to do on the defensive end but that will come in time as we continue to practice"
Up Next: The Wildcats returns to action Saturday, 4 p.m., hosting Rosemont in their home opener.
