Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. -- Senior Marc Egerson and sophomore Alphonso Dawson (at right) each dropped in a career-high 28 points, but the hot-shooting tandem was not enough as the University of Delaware men’s basketball squad dropped its season opener Sunday afternoon with an 85-77 setback to Rutgers at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Rutgers (2-0) shot a sizzling 60.4 percent from the field, including 17 of 24 shooting in the opening half, and got a balanced effort led by forward Hamady Ndiaye, who scored a career-high 26 points and pulled a team-high eight rebounds. Guard Mike Rosario added 17 points and Corey Chandler came off the bench to add 13 more points.

Egerson, a pre-season first team All-Colonial Athletic Association pick, hit on 10 of 17 shots from the field for his 28 points and also pulled 12 of Delaware’s 26 rebounds while Dawson hit on 11 of 18 shots from the field. The tandem combined to score 27 of the Hens’ 38 second half points. Guard Brian Johnson contributed 11 points and five assists for the Hens. The effort by Egerson and Dawson marked the first time in school history that two players scored 28 or more points in the same game.

The game was part of the inaugural Garden State Tip-Off Classic coordinated by Rutgers. Delaware will continue action in the tournament by traveling to Robert Morris Nov. 18 and taking on St. Bonaventure and Marist at Rutgers Nov. 21 and 23.

“We had a couple of lapses that took a toll on us,” said Delaware third-year head coach Monté Ross, whose team went 14-17 a year ago. “But I was pleased with the way we took care of the ball and we showed the ability to score, which should bode well for us in the future. Marc and Alphonso have been shooting well in practice and I was happy to see that translate into the game.”

Delaware fought back from a nine-point deficit early in the second half and took the lead at 51-50 with 13:05 remaining on a three-pointer by Egerson. But Rutgers turned the tables as the Scarlet Knights outscored the Hens 12-1 over the next three minutes to take a 62-51 advantage with 9:40 remaining on a dunk by Ndiaye. Chandler scored five points during the run, including a key three-pointer.

The second half was full of big runs for both teams with the Scarlet Knights finally pulling away in the final minutes. The Hens cut the lead to 72-69 with 1:48 left but could never get closer as Rutgers converted 11 free throws the rest of the way, including six by Anthony Farmer and five by Rosario. As a team, Rutgers hit on 23 of 33 free throws, outscoring the Hens by 13 from the charity stripe.

Thanks to the hot shooting of Egerson and Dawson, the Hens jumped out to a 22-12 lead in the first eight minutes of play and still led by 11 points before Rutgers closed the half on a 26-10 run over a span of just under 10 minutes to take a 45-39 lead into the break.

The Scarlet Knights extended the lead to nine points early in the second half at 48-39 before a 12-2 run by Delaware gave the Hens their only second half lead at 51-50 with 13:05 remaining. Egerson hit two three-pointers and Dawson added another during the stretch.

Rutgers turned the tables with an 11-1 run over the next four minutes, taking a 62-51 lead with 9:40 left following a three-pointer by Chandler and a dunk by Ndiaye. Delaware battled back again, cutting the lead to 62-58 with 7:50 left and narrowing the margin to 70-67 with 2:50 remaining, but could never pull ahead. Delaware’s Jawan Carter, making his Blue Hen debut after transferring from Saint Joseph’s, hit two free throws with 1:48 left to cut the lead to 72-69, snapping a streak of five straight free throw misses by the Hens, but Delaware never got closer.