NEW PHILADELPHIA, OH - Junior DeJaun Owens (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry Charter School) scored a game-high 24 points and made seven threes as #1 Villa closed out the 2017 calendar year with a 90-67 road victory over Kent State University at Tuscarawas on Thursday afternoon.

Kent State - a United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) team on the rise - had it going offensively in the first half, but Villa shut it down in the second half, holding them to just 29 points and 36 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.  Villa shot 57 percent in the second half and opened the half on a 12-2 run and held Kent to just two points over the first 5:34 of the half.

Owens was 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.  He also added four rebounds and three blocks.  Senior Justin Stokes (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry Charter School) scored a season-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting.  16 of his 18 came in the second half.

Junior Dominic Douglas (Bainbridge, GA/Bainbridge High School) finished with 12 points and six rebounds while Lonnie Taylor (Medina, NY/Medina High School), Jonathan Pozo (Bronx, NY/Erie Community College) and Kwanique Martin (Brooklyn, NY/Frank Phillips Community College) all finished with eight points apiece.

Villa ends the 2017 calendar year with a 14-1 overall record and has been ranked first in all three USCAA National Coaches Polls.  They will next play on January 7th and 8th of 2018 when they take their talents to South Beach for games against the University of the Virgin Islands and Florida National University.