GLENSIDE, Pa. – Three players scored in double figures and the Knights never trailed as the Arcadia men's basketball team defeated Gwynedd Mercy, 65-56 in the fourth annual Battle of 309 at Alumni Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
 
Da'Kquan Davis led the Knights with 18 points, grabbed three rebounds and tallied five assists. Josh Scott netted 13 points, grabbed six boards and also handed out five assists, while Evan Slone chipped in 12 points for the Knights (3-1).
 
Tied 8-8 with 14:44 remaining in the first half, Arcadia went on a 13-5 run over the next 5:46, to take a nine-point lead (21-12) with 8:58 left in the period. The run began with a three-point play from Phil Pierfy, and was capped by Steve Pendleton knocking down two free throws.
 
The Griffins closed the gap as the first half came to a close, going on a 15-11 run, to cut the Knights' lead to five (32-27) with 1:49 to play. Davis converted a layup with 1:27 remaining to put Arcadia up by seven (34-27), which was the score at halftime.
 
The Knights scored seven of the first 10 points of the second half, including back-to-back layups by Pierfy to push out to a 41-30 lead with just over 17 minutes to play.
 
Back-to-back three's and a dunk from the Griffins, followed by jumper from Clayton Wolfe, trimmed the Knights lead to just one (41-40) with 12:26 to play. The Griffins forced Arcadia into five straight missed shots with three turnovers on eight possessions to get back into the game
 
The Knights answered with a 12-5 run, capped by a Josh Scott triple, to give Arcadia a 53-45 lead with 5:41 showing. The stretch was capped off by seven unanswered points, including back-to-back buckets by Davis.
 
The Griffins got as close as five (61-56) in the final minute, but never seriously threatened and Arcadia knocked down 4 of 6 free throws in the final 32 seconds to seal the contest.
 
Arcadia shot 38.8 percent (19-49) from the floor, while the Griffins shot 42.9 percent (21-49). However, the Knights got to the charity stripe 24 times, hitting on 19 attempts (.792), while Gwynedd Mercy attempted just 11 free throws the whole game, making five (.455). The Knights also recorded 15 assists on 19 made baskets and turned the ball over just 12 times, while forcing the Griffins into 14 turnovers.
 
Wolfe led the Griffins with 14 points and six rebounds, while Rich Durham scored 12 points and pulled down four boards.
 
The Knights are set to return to action on Sunday when they play host to nationally-ranked Swarthmore at 3 p.m.