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December 12, 1998 Desmond Conference Challenge, Albany, NY
Delaware 92, Lafayette 78 Mike Pegues erupted for 32 points and 12 rebounds as the Blue Hens led from start to finish for a 92-78 non-league win over Lafayette in the Desmond Conference Challenge at the Pepsi Arena. Pegues, the nation's No. 4 leading scorer at 25.8 ppg, hit for 15 points in the first half and added 17 in the second stanza for his third 30-point effort of the season. The Blue Hens improved to 7-0 with the victory, the best start in school history (the 1971-72 started out 6-0). The game was one of four played in Pepsi Arena on Saturday as part of the Desmond Challenge, an exempt game for participating teams. Also for Delaware, John Gordon scored 17 points, Kestutis Marciulionis added 18 off the bench, and John Bennett had 10 rebounds and three blocks. Lafayette (5-2) got 19 points from Brian Ehlers, 18 from Tyson Whitfield (all on threes), and Ted Cole. The Hens shot 58.6 percent from the field in the second half (17 of 29), had just 10 turnovers, and outrebounded the Leopards 43-33. The Hens defeated their former East Coast Conference opponents in the first game between the two since the ECC Tournament in 1989. Delaware built a nine-point halftime lead at 38-29 and built the lead to as much as 21 points at 68-47 with 9:36 left before a late Lafayette rally. The Leopards cut the UD lead to 10 points in the final three minutes but could not get any closer. Lafayette was allowing less than 60 points per game and was ranked 15th nationally in scoring defense. The Leopards had lost by five points to Purdue earlier this season.
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