BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – The Bryn Athyn College men's basketball team returns to the court after a week off to face the University of Valley Forge in a non-conference clash Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Asplundh Field House.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lions (1-2) suffered a 74-58 loss to Arcadia in their home opener on Nov. 21. Lamarr Crenshaw and Rahim Washington both scored 19 points in the setback, while Adonis Rosario had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Bryn Athyn shot a season-high 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the free throw line. The Lions also posted season bests in assists (12) and steals (10).
Valley Forge (0-3) dropped its home opener on Nov. 26 to Penn State Brandywine, 76-72. Alex Sanchez poured in a game-high 25 points and hauled in 10 rebounds. Todd James racked up 14 points and 12 boards. Sean Word posted a game-high 17 rebounds.
The Patriots shot 40.0 percent (30-of-75) in the loss, but just 7.7 percent (1-of-13) from 3-point range.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Washington is Bryn Athyn's top scorer and the seventh-highest scorer in the North Eastern Athletic Conference with 18.0 points per game. He has led the team in scoring in all three games this season. Washington ranks second on the team with a 42.9 field goal percentage. In addition to his scoring, Washington is adding 6.7 rebounds per game and four steals.
Crenshaw contributes 12.3 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, a team-high three blocked shots, and three steals. He has spent the most time on the floor for the Lions, averaging 33.7 minutes per game—which is eighth in the NEAC.
Against Arcadia, Washington and Crenshaw played all 40 minutes. It was the first time this season that the players have done so.
Rosario is averaging 11.3 points per game and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game. He is 14th in the NEAC in rebounding and fifth with 12 offensive rebounds. In the last two games, Rosario has been Bryn Athyn's top rebounder.
As a team, Bryn Athyn sits fourth in the conference with 15.0 made free throws per game and 8.0 steals per game. The Lions are the fifth best free throwing shooting team in the NEAC, making 67.2 percent of their attempts. Bryn Athyn is 1-0 went it wins the rebounding and turnover battle. In the two losses, the Lions were outrebounded and committed more turnovers than their opponent.
SCOUTING VALLEY FORGE
The Patriots are led in scoring by Sanchez, who is 15th in Division III with 26.7 points per game. Sanchez—who has played all but three minutes so far this season—is shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. He's adding 9.0 rebounds per game, which is second on the team.
Word is currently ranked 12th in D-III with 12.0 rebounds per game. He has recorded at least 10 rebounds in a game twice and posted one double-double.
Valley Forge is outrebounding opponents by an average of 4.3 per game. Defensively, the Patriots have held two of their three opponents to under 38.0 percent shooting.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lions and Patriots are meeting for the fourth straight season and Valley Forge leads the all-time series, 3-0. Last season, Bryn Athyn was defeated by Valley Forge 92-73 on Nov. 22, 2016, in Asplundh Field House.