FORT VALLEY, Ga. – Fort Valley State University Men's Basketball (5-4, 4-4 SIAC) picked up an 80-73 victory over Allen University (2-9, 1-8 SIAC), powered by a second-half shooting clinic Saturday afternoon in HPE.
C.J. Williams opened the scoring with a made free throw to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 edge. Allen responded with eight unanswered points before
Danny Delgardo III trimmed the deficit to 8-4 with a three-pointer. With just under 13 minutes remaining, Delgardo III put FVSU back in front with a dunk to make it 11-10, marking the Wildcats' second lead of the afternoon.
Fort Valley State followed with a 13-0 run to extend the advantage to 22-10. Allen answered late in the half, reclaiming the lead at 28-26 after a 14-point scoring run with 3:30 remaining.
Aidan Lambert tied the game at 28 on a tip-in layup, but the Wildcats were outscored 10-1 over the final two-and-a-half minutes and went into halftime trailing 38-29.
Allen pushed its lead to 11 on a layup to open the second half, but FVSU quickly shifted momentum with a 10-0 run to pull within one, 40-39.
Sincere Whitehead gave the Wildcats their first lead since the 3:55 mark of the first half with a tip-in layup. The Yellow Jackets briefly regained the advantage at 47-46 before Williams tied the game at 58, sparking a nine-point scoring run for the Wildcats.
The teams traded baskets down the stretch, but Fort Valley State maintained at least a five-point cushion in the closing minutes and secured the seven-point win, 80-73.
Three Wildcats finished in double figures, led by Williams, who recorded a double-double with a team-high 24 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 6-for-13 from the floor, knocked down five three-pointers, and went 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Delgardo III followed with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting, while Lambert added 11 points.
Whitehead anchored the rebounding effort with a game-high 17 boards and chipped in nine points. Williams collected 10 rebounds, and Lambert pulled down nine to round out the leading rebounders.
Derek Delgardo Jr. led the team with seven assists.
The Wildcats return to action on Monday, Jan. 5, hosting Benedict College at 7:30 p.m. in HPE.
