PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (Jan. 23, 2017) – Junior Sam Smith (Wyomissing, Pa.) nailed another clutch 3-point basket down the stretch as the Widener University men's basketball team rallied to earn a 67-65 victory over Valley Forge on Wednesday evening.

Widener trailed by three at the break and by a 57-46 score with 8:30 left before storming back to set up another nail-biting finish. Smith, who provided the heroics in Saturday's improbable overtime victory against Albright, converted a layup to ignite the rally and then nailed a 3-point shot from the left arc to put the Pride ahead by a 66-65 score with 1:13 on the clock.
 
The Patriots had plenty of opportunities to regain the lead and most notably had an opportunity to go for the last shot to win after a pass intended for point guard Ryan McMahon (Mount Laurel, N.J.) in the backcourt was airmailed into the Patriot bench area. Jalen Archer's 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession, however, rimmed out and was rebounded by junior Sardayah Sambo (Middletown, Del.). The Widener captain then made the front end of two free throws, and a desperation shot at the buzzer by Connor Huth was no good.
 
Smith got the Pride off to a hot start by canning a trey on the first play of the game, but Valley Forge (9-6) responded with six straight points and would lead for most of the opening half. After surrendering their advantage on a Connor Laverty trifecta with 3:20 remaining, the Patriots would eventually end the half on a 10-3 run and got a free throw from Devin Williams to carry a 34-31 lead into the break. The Patriots would then build their lead up to 11 on four occasions before Widener's Smith keyed a rally by scoring 12 of the team's final 21 points to give the visitors their third straight win.
 
Smith, who was named the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Player of the Week earlier today, provided 25 points by shooting 10-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-8 from long range. He also dished out three assists and redirected three shots, marking the third straight game in which he notched at least one career high. Sambo contributed 13 points and seven rebounds along with three blocks, while senior John Fender (Wallingford, Pa.) added 10 points and eight boards.
 
Archer paced Valley Forge, which is in its first year of having active NCAA Division III status following a provisional period. He had 13 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Devin Williams also netted 13 points and Alex Sanchez contributed 12 points as well as two steals.
 
Widener (10-8) will look to extend its winning streak when it visits Lycoming on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m.