GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Neumann University men's basketball team handed Gwynedd Mercy University its first Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) loss of the season, 88-77, on Wednesday evening.
 
DeShawn Lowman led five Knights in double-digits with 21 points. James Butler tallied 18 points and nine rebounds. Denzel Yard scored 13 points and handed out 10 assists for a double-double. Darian Barnes added 12 points and nine rebounds. Tony Parker rounded out the double-figures with 11 points.
 
Barnes put the Knights on the board first and Neumann did not trail the rest of the game. Yard followed after with a dunk, giving Neumann a quick 4-0 lead. The teams traded baskets, but the Knights kept the Griffins at least two points away. With 11:50 left the Knights took a 10 point lead with a five point run, 25-15. Gwynedd Mercy chipped back to within two points, 38-36, with 1:17 left in the half. Neumann ended the half scoring seven points to take a 45-36 lead into halftime.
 
Neumann started the second half on fire, going on a 12-4 run over four minutes in for a 57-40 lead. The Knights kept a double-digit lead for the first 10 minutes of the half. The Griffins hit two free throws with 11:05 on the clock, 65-56, to get within single-digits. Gwynedd Mercy continued to chip its way into Neumann's lead and got to within three, 68-65, with 6:26 on the clock.
 
The Knights then went on a 9-2 run to take back a 10 point advantage, 77-67, with 3:55 remaining. That run proved to be the difference as the Griffins were not able to respond to this run and Neumann handed Gwynedd Mercy its first conference loss of the season.
 
Neumann (14-6, 10-3 CSAC) will travel to Summit University on Saturday afternoon for CSAC action beginning at 3:00 PM.