Boxscore
Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware connected on three straight three-pointers as part of a pivotal 14-0 run midway through the second half and held on down the stretch to post an exciting 81-79 Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball victory over pre-season favorite Virginia Commonwealth Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The Hens (7-7, 1-1 CAA) used a balanced effort en route to snapping a 10-game losing streak again the Rams (8-5, 1-1 CAA) as Marc Egerson scored 19 points, pulled nine rebounds, and dished out six assists, Brian Johnson (top right) added 16 points, Alphonso Dawson (bottom right) chipped in with 15 points, Jawan Carter posted his 13th straight double-figure scoring effort with 13 points, and Jim Ledsome contributed nine points and eight rebounds.

Delaware, which won its second straight game and its fifth in its last six outings, also snapped a personal four-game home losing streak to VCU and downed the Rams for the first time since a 55-53 win Jan. 11, 2003 at the BCC. The Hens connected on 10 of 18 three-pointers for the game and drained a season-high 27 free throws, including nine in the final minute of play, to pull out the victory.

"This was a great team win and the crowd did a great job of cheering us on," said Delaware head coach Monté Ross, who downed VCU for the first time in five tries. "Our entire starting five was fantastic and I'm most proud of our defensive effort because we kept getting stops in the second half. Jim Ledsome did a very good job on Larry Sanders and did a good job of attacking him on their press."

All-American senior guard Eric Maynor, the 2008 CAA Player of the Year, led VCU with 28 points - his league-leading ninth 20-point effort so far this year - and dished out seven assists, backcourt mate Joey Rodriguez chipped in with 13 points, and Bradford Burgess added 11 points. Sanders, a pre-season All-CAA selection, scored eight points and pulled seven rebounds before fouling out with 8:11 remaining.

The 14-point scoring explosion helped the Blue Hens build the lead to as much as 13 points at 59-46 with 8:50 remaining before the Rams made a furious comeback attempt that fell just short. VCU made it a one possession game several times in the final minute and pulled to within 78-76 on two Burgess free throws with 17 seconds left, but Carter connected on three of four free throws the rest of the way to preserve the win.

The Rams pulled to within 80-79 on a Rodriguez three-pointer with three seconds left and Carter followed with one of two free throws to give the Rams a chance. Maynor's desperation shot just inside the midcourt line was well off the mark as the horn sounded.

VCU, which has won three of the last five CAA regular season titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2007, sprinted out to a 35-31 lead at the half and pushed the lead to as many as eight points at 39-31 in the opening minute of the second stanza.

Delaware rallied to tie the score at 45-45 on a D.J. Boney free throw with 12:36 left, but VCU regained the lead moments later when Maynor hit a free throw for a 46-45 advantage.

The Blue Hens then dominated the next six minutes of action to take a double-digit lead as Delaware scored 14 straight points, including consecutive three-pointers by Egerson, Johnson, and Carter in a span of 83 seconds, and on a dunk by Ledsome to go up 61-49 with 6:42 left. VCU missed eight straight shots at one point as the Hens pulled ahead.

VCU stayed in striking range, making it a one possession game at 75-72 after a layup by Burgess with 38 seconds left and pulling to within 80-79 in the final seconds. Delaware stayed in front by hitting six free throws in the final 38 seconds, including three by Carter and two by Boney.