Delta Men Lose Tough Game to KVCC

University Center, MI - The Delta College men's basketball team mounted a valiant come back Saturday afternoon but couldn't overcome a sluggish start and lost to MCCAA-West foe Kalamazoo Valley Community College 85-72.

In the first half, shooting woes and turnovers hurt the Pioneers as they shot 40 percent from the floor and had a dozen turnovers. Meanwhile, KVCC shot well from behind the three point arc and converted turnovers into easy buckets. A half court three pointer at the halftime buzzer pushed the Cougar lead to 42-26 at the break.

After the half, KVCC pushed their lead to 20 points with seven minutes left. The Pioneers proceeded to go on a run of their own where a Torion Wilson three pointer combined with a Jovon Thomason jumper cut the lead to ten with two and a half minutes left. That would be as close as the Pioneers would get, though, as the Cougars iced the game down the stretch.

The Pioneers had six guys in double figures led by Trey Newsham with 13 points. Torion Wilson and Devin Smith had 12 points and DeMarquis Simington added 11. Jovon Thomason and Jon Swift had 10. Virgil Walker led the way on the glass with 7 rebounds.

"We are sorting out our rotation right now and are trying to get better and compete harder every day," said head coach Carlos McMath. "We made a nice run in the second half and I am proud of how the guys didn't get their heads down and kept competing until the end."

The Delta Men's basketball team (1-1) will be back in action on Friday. They will travel to the Lakeland Community College Tournament and open up against Mercy Hurst Northeast, game time is 3:30.