BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Dec. 5, 2008) - Junior center Nick Rivera (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) scored six of his team and career-high 19 points breaking a 52-all, second-half tie and giving Alvernia University (3-3, 1-0) a lead it didn't relinquish in a 67-60 win over Delaware Valley (1-4, 0-1) Wednesday evening in Freedom Conference men's basketball action at the Physical Education Center. 

Rivera scored an uncontested layup converting one of Eric Barefield's (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) eight assists with 8:25 to go, scored on a putback 40 seconds later, and scored after a Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) steal to give the Crusaders a 58-52 lead with 7:16 to play. 

DVC cut it to two with back-to-back scores, but Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Carson Long Military Academy) and Barefield both scored in the paint to push the lead back to six and the Crusaders held on for their first win in their new league. 

Senior Tyrone Bradley (Chester, Pa./Chester) erased Alvernia's two-point, halftime deficit with a pair of free throws and Alvernia matched its largest lead of the night with 13 minutes to go when Barefield scored on a layup for a 52-42 lead. 

For the second time on the night Alvernia lost a double-digit lead watching the Aggies rattle off 10 straight led by freshman Chris Mayo (Philadelphia, Pa./West Catholic) who tallied six of his 13 during the streak. 

Rivera then stopped the streak with his pivotal six-point run. 

Barefield scored 11 points and has 28 assists in the last three games. Amponsah also reached double figures with 10, and Rivera posted the first double-double of the season for Alvernia with 11 rebounds. James Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Edward Bok Tech) led the Aggies with a game-high 20 and Mayo and Jason Goldheimer (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) added 13 apiece. 

The Crusaders established themselves early in the first half getting five points from Rivera as they opened up an early 11-4 lead. The advantage grew to as many as 10 points when senior Tim Walters (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood) knocked down a 3 for a 23-13 count. 

DVC nearly erased that lead in under two minutes going for seven straight led by five from Jones, but back came Alvernia capping a 7-2 run with a David Washington (Durham, N.C./Northern Durham) 3 that put the hosts up eight, 30-22 with 4:24 left in the half. 

Two minutes later, back-to-back 3s from the Aggies capped a 12-0 run that put them up four and a Jones jumper eventually made it 14 straight giving the guests their largest lead of the half, a six point edge with 1:23 on the clock. 

Barefield hit a pair of free throws and then scored in the paint as the Crusaders tallied the final four points of the half to hit the break down just two, 36-34. 

Alvernia led in points in the paint, 16-10, in the first half, but nine turnovers led to 21 points for the Aggies. 

The Crusaders travels to Manhattanville for a women's and men's doubleheader on Saturday. 

Alvernia 67, Delaware Valley 60