NEWARK, DE -- The University of Delaware broke open a close game midway through the second half with a 9-0 run and moved on for a hard-fought 89-77 non-league men’s basketball victory over UNC Greensboro Monday night at the Bob Carpenter Center, snapping the Blue Hens’ six-game losing streak.

All-American candidate Harding Nana connected for yet another double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds and guard Andrew Washington and Sam McMahon came off the bench to combine for 34 points as the Blue Hens improved to 3-6 with the win in their latest home opener since the 1945-46 season. Delaware, which played its first eight games away from home, won for the first time since a 67-64 victory over Stetson in Raleigh, NC back on Nov. 19.

The Blue Hens, who reached a season-high for points, improved to 5-1 in home openers under head coach David Henderson and won their home opener for the 19th time over the last 22 seasons. Washington scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half while McMahon netted a career-high 16 points, including 12 in the first half, before being ejected with 16:31 left when he picked up his second technical foul of the game. Zaire Taylor added eight assists, six rebounds, and five steals in helping the Delaware cause.

UNC Greensboro, which got 22 points and nine rebounds from guard Ricky Hickman, 15 points from guard Kevin Oleksiak, and 14 points and 13 rebounds from forward Kyle Hines, had a four-game winning streak snapped to fall to 7-4. The Spartans shot just 38.1 percent from the field (24 of 63) and converted 7 of 22 three-pointers for the game.

The game featured seven ties and nine lead changes and the Hens never broke away until the final three minutes when they increased the lead to double digits.

Delaware took a 41-35 lead into halftime but an 8-2 run by the Spartans to open the second half tied things at 43-43 three minues into the stanza. The two teams traded lead changes several times over the next seven minutes with neither team leading by more than four points until UNC Greensboro’s Hickman nailed a three-pointer with 10:08 left to play to put the Spartans up 61-56.

But Delaware stormed back from there. Nana hit a three-pointer just 23 seconds later and Calvin Cannon drained all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt to give the Hens the lead for good at 62-61 with 9:16 left. Delaware followed with six straight points, including another three-pointer from Nana, to take a seven-point lead at 68-61 with 6:51 remaining.

The Spartans battled back to cut the lead to four at 72-68 on a jumper by Oleksiak with 5:05 to go, but the Hens countered with an 11-3 run, including both a three-pointer and dunk from Washington, to up the lead to double digits at 83-71 with 2:10 left.

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