|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
NCAA Tournament Team Notes Tennessee (20-8, 12-4 SEC) vs. Delaware (25-5, 15-3 America East) - 1st Round Wisconsin or Southwest Missouri State - Potential 2nd Round March 12-14, 1999 • Charlotte Coliseum • Charlotte, NC NCAA 1st/2nd Round • East Regional
Delaware Probable Starters (1998-99 Statistics) F #5 Mike Pegues (Forestville, MD) 6-5 Jr. 21.7 ppg 7.1 rpg .504 FG% F #13 KESTUTIS MARCIULIONiS (Kaunas, Lithuania) 6-2 Jr. 12.3 ppg 2.2 rpg 50-122 3's C #10 John Bennett (Middletown, MD) 6-10 Sr. 7.1 ppg 8.2 rpg 91 blocks G #15 John Gordon (Wilmington, DE) 5-10 Jr. 15.9 ppg 3.6 apg 85-181 3's G # 3 Tyrone Perry (Newport News, VA) 5-11 Sr. 8.7 ppg 3.1 apg 3.4 rpg
Blue Hens off the Bench G #24 Greg Miller (Mt. Holly, NJ) 6-4 So. 6.2 ppg 2.6 rpg F/G #23 Madou Diouf (Dakar, Senegal) 6-5 So. 4.6 ppg 5.0 rpg C #4 Ndongo Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal) 7-1 Jr. 2.6 ppg 2.7 rpg F #44 Fred Gonzalez (San Marcos, TX) 6-9 Sr. 0.8 ppg 0.6 rpg G #12 Tobias Mullen (Ellendale, DE) 6-4 Sr. 0.4 ppg 0.5 rpg G #34 Dave Arnold (Pocomoke, MD) 6-1 So. 0.5 ppg 0.3 rpg C #45 Mohamed Niang (Dakar, Senegal) 6-10 Sr. 0.8 ppg 0.4 rpg
Head Coach Mike Brey (George Washington '82) 75-43 overall, 4th season at Delaware 53-28 in America East play (regular season and playoffs) 1st Meeting with Tennessee
Associate Head Coach Sean Kearney (Scranton '81), 8th season
Assistant Coaches Kenny Blakeney (Duke '95), 2nd season G.R. Myers (Delaware '97), 2nd season Captains Tyrone Perry, John Bennett
SPORTS INFORMATION PHONE: 302-831-2186 or 302-831-8715 UD FAX MACHINE: 302-831-8653 SPORTS INFORMATION HOTLINE: 302-831-8139 SID SCOTT SELHEIMER AT HOME: 302-368-8639 SID TIM BROOKS AT HOME: 302-652-0389 SID INTERNS: Tim Brooks, Steve Geller SID/BASKETBALL SECRETARY: Linda McCormick
DELAWARE ATHLETICS WEBSITE: www.udel.edu/sportsinfo DELAWARE BASKETBALL ON FAXBACK: 201-585-5405 (Code No. 1209 for statistics and results, 1211 for roster, 1212 for game notes, 1213 for latest boxscore)
General Information School Name: University of Delaware Founded: 1743 as NewArk College Location: Newark, Delaware 19716 (Located in town of approximately 30,000, 3rd largest city in Delaware; app. 15 miles south of Wilmington, Delaware; 45 minutes south of Philadelphia; 1 hour north of Baltimore; Delaware is known as "The First State" and the "Diamond State"; Delaware was 1st state to ratify the U.S. Constitution; 2nd smallest state in size behind Rhode Island; approximate state population is 700,000) Enrollment: 15,528 full-time undergraduates Nickname: Fightin' Blue Hens or more commonly "Blue Hens" (state bird of Delaware; breed of gamecock known for its fighting prowess and common in state during the Revolutionary War; UD College of Agriculture still breeds the animals on the Delaware campus farm) Colors: Royal Blue (PMS 287) & Gold (PMS 109) Conference: America East (formerly North Atlantic Conference; includes Delaware, Towson, Drexel, Hofstra, Hartford, Boston University, Northeastern, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire) Basketball Arena: Bob Carpenter Center (5,000)...built in 1992-93...Delaware averaged 4,815 fans (96.3 % capacity) fans per game in 1998-99...BCC Record 5,209 (SRO) for all three rounds of the America East Tournament...named in honor of the late Bob Carpenter, former owner of the Philadelphia Phillies and longtime UD benefactor and trustee President: Dr. David P. Roselle (formerly President of University of Kentucky, 1987-90) Athletic Director: Edgar N. Johnson (302-831-4006) Senior Associate Athletic Director: Mary Ann Hitchens Operations Associate (BB Administrative for NCAA): Jerry Oravitz (302-831-0767) NCAA Faculty Representative: Dr. John L. Burmeister Ticket Managers: Mike Holdren (302-831-0606) and Barbara Fleming (302-831-4109) Sports Information Director: Scott Selheimer Basketball Contact: Tim Brooks HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Blue Hens were picked to win the America East Conference in the pre-season poll and the Hens did not disappoint going 15-3 in conference play and winning their last 10 regular season games to tie Drexel for the America East regular season title. Delaware earned the No. 1 seed in the America East tournament by sweeping Drexel during the regular season. In the America East tournament, the Hens defeated their three opponents by an average of 19.3 ppg. Delaware opened tournament play with a 83-63 quarterfinal victory over No. 9 Towson. In the semifinals, Delaware defeated the No. 4 seed Maine, 90-73 to advance to championship game on March 6 when the Hens claimed the title defeating Drexel 86-67. Delaware is the only team in America East to finish in the top half of the 10-team league standings each of the past four seasons.
BLUE HENS MAKING FOURTH TRIP TO THE "BIG DANCE": Delaware will be making its fourth overall and second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Hens have been in the Midwest Regional the first three times they made the tournament. In the Hens first tournament appearance, the Hens were the No. 13 seed and fell to the No. 4 seed and No. 12 ranked Cincinnati Bearcats in the first round of the 1992 Midwest Regional in Dayton, OH. In the 1993 tournament, the Hens were again the No. 13 seed and were defeated by the No. 4 seed and No. 15 ranked Louisville Cardinal at the 1993 Midwest Regional in Indianapolis, IN. Delaware's appearance in this year's tournament marks the sixth consecutive year that the America East regular season championship won the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The last regular season champion not to make the NCAA Tournament was Drexel in 1993 when the Dragons were upset by No. 3 seed Delaware in the championship. America East teams are 5-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with Drexel the last conference team to win a game at the NCAA Tournament, defeated the No. 5 Memphis 75-63 at the 1996 West Regional in Albuquerque, NM. PEGUES NAMED AMERICA EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Delaware's Mike Pegues was awarded the 1998-99 America East Player of the Year honor. Pegues became the first Delaware player to win the award. He was also the first Delaware player to lead the America East conference in scoring. Pegues, who is currently averaging 21.7 ppg, has spent all of season ranked among the nation's top 15 scorers. Pegues also ranked seventh in America East in rebounds averaging 7.1 per game and is also one of the conference's top foul shooters hit on 79.1 percent from the line. Pegues scored 30 or more points seven times this season including a career-high 38 points against Hartford on Jan. 16. Charlotte Connection: Delaware head coach Mike Brey is no stranger to the Charlotte Coliseum. Brey was an assistant coach on the 1994 Duke team which lost in the NCAA Championship game, 76-72, to Arkansas. The Blue Devils defeated Florida, 70-65, in the semi-finals to advance to the finals. Brey has come out of Charlotte a champion when the 1992 Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament at the Charlotte Coliseum. GORDON NAMED AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT MVP: John Gordon was awarded the Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player award for the 1999 America East tournament. Gordon is the second consecutive Delaware player to win the award. Darryl Presley won the award last season for the Hens. Gordon averaged a team-high 22.7 ppg and hit on 64.5 percent (20 of 31) from the field. Gordon's percentage improved behind the three-point line raining in 65 percent (13 of 20) from behind the arc. Mike Pegues and Tyrone Perry joined Gordon on the All-Tournament team. DELAWARE VS. THE 1999 NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD: Delaware has played two teams this season who will be participating in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. The Hens went 1-1 in those games. The Hens defeated Lafayette on Dec. 5 in the Desmond Conference Challenge, 92-78. Sixteen days later, Delaware played the No. 16 ranked College of Charleston in the finals of the College of Charleston tournament and lost to the Cougars, 80-55. Delaware has played 21 teams in this year's field of 64, posting a record of 48-148. Below is the how the Hens have fared against the 1999 NCAA Tournament teams. Delaware vs. the Southeastern conference: Even though this is Delaware's first meeting against No. 18 ranked Tennessee, the Hens own a 2-6 record all-time against the Southeast Conference. The Hens posted victories over Florida and South Carolina while falling to Alabama (twice), Auburn, Georgia, Louisiana State, and Mississippi State. INSIDE-OUTSIDE: Delaware's inside-outside game evolved throughout the season. The season started with the inside game dominatin as Mike Pegues led the Hens in scoring in 16 of Delaware's first 19 games. Through those 19 games, Pegues was averaging 24.3 ppg. In the last 11 games the outside game took over with a Delaware guard leading the Hens in scoring in eight games. John Gordon led the Hens in five of those games. During those 11 games, Mike Pegues saw his scoring average drop from 24.3 ppg to 21.7 ppg while John Gordon saw his rise from 13.2 to 15.9 ppg and Kestutis Marciulionis', who started in eight of the last 11 games, scoring average rose from 9.1 to 12.3 ppg. As a team, Delaware's scoring average rose from 73.6 ppg to 78.1 ppg. Streaking Hens: The Blue Hens come into the NCAA Tournament on a 13-game winning streak (2nd longest in school history, 5th longest in the nation). The Hens winning streak ranks behind College of Charleston, Duke, Michigan State, and Utah. The Hens have defeated their opponents during the streak by an average of 17.1 ppg and has defeated the last 10 opponents by 13 points or more. The last team to lose to the Hens by less than 13 points was Northeastern who lost to the Hens, 72-69, on Jan. 29. Delaware started the season on an eight-game winning streak before losing to the College of Charleston. The Hens will take a five-game road winning streak into next season. Delaware is one of only six teams who are 10-0 going into the tournament (Delaware, College of Charleston, Duke, Utah, Michigan State, George Mason). COZY CONFINES OF THE CARPENTER CENTER: The Blue Hens love to play at the Bob Carpenter Center. Delaware has sold out eight of its last nine home games. A crowd of 4,723 turned out for senior night on Feb. 15. The Blue Hens last three games were played in front of Bob Carpenter Center record crowds of 5,209 which broke the old record of 5,205 set in the 1998 America East Championship Game against Boston University. Delaware has won 79 percent (73-20) of its games there since the building opened in 1992. Overall, the Hens are 52-15 (.776) in league play at the BCC. The Hens are 7-2 in tournament games at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Hens have won 23 of their last 24 games at the BCC losing only to Maine on Jan. 22. Maine's 70-59 victory over Delaware broke the Hens 15-game home winning streak which was the 11th longest current winning streak in the nation. Delaware has averaged a league-best 3,400 fans per game since 1992, including an average of 3,686 last season. Delaware averaged 4,815 in 14 home games this season. DAYTIME WARRIORS: The Blue Hens are love to play early in the day and have won all 10 home games this season and have won their last 13 day-time games dating back to last season. The Hens have defeated their day-time opponents by an average of 17.1 ppg. Delaware's largest day-time occurred when the Hens defeated New Hampshire, 67-41, on Jan. 24. The closest an opponent came to defeating the Hens during the day was when Drexel lost to Delaware, 70-62, on Dec. 5. SATURDAY SOLDIERS: When Delaware plays on Saturday, the Hens have shot down the opposition every time. Delaware is a perfect 8-0 in Saturday games this season. The Hens have defeated their Saturday opponents by an average of 15.2 ppg. The Hens have shot 49.6 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from behind the three-point arc. The Hen defense has held the opposition to 39.9 percent shooting from the field and 31.1 from three-point range. FANTASIC FEBRUARY: Delaware has come on strong in the last half of the season with its 13-game winning streak. The Hens have also had their first undefeated month where they have played more than five games. Delaware started the season with a 4-0 November and closed out February with an 8-0 mark. The last team to go undefeated in month with more than five games was the 1991-92 team which went 9-0 in February. This year's team shot a blistering 53 percent from the field for the month and scored 85.4 per game. The Hens are holding the opposition to just 38.7 shooting from the field and just 66.9 ppg. John Gordon led the Hen attack averaging 22.9 ppg while shooting 64.1 percent form the field and 64.8 percent (35 of 54) from behind the three-point line. As a team, the Hens shot 46.6 percent (69 of 148) from three-point range and held opponents to 28.9 percent (41 of 142) three-point shooting. THREE-POINT FEVER: The 1998-99 Blue Hen squad has found the range from behind the three-point arc draining a school record 205 three-pointers this season. The Hens found their range early in the season when the Hens rained in 12 three-pointers against Delaware State, in the second game of the season, which tied a school record. Delaware matched that effort on Feb. 27 when the Hens hit on 12 threes against Towson in the quarterfinals. Delaware has hit on 10 or more three-pointers four other times this season. The Hens hit 11 treys against Hofstra on Feb. 10 and hit 10 three-pointers against Howard on Nov. 25, Vermont on Feb. 13 and against Drexel in the America East championship on March 6. GORDON BREAKS SCHOOL 3-POINT RECORD: When junior guard John Gordon hit his first of three-pointer of the game against Maine, he broke the single season three-point record at the University of Delaware. Gordon has hit on 85 three-pointers this season which breaks the UD record of 78 three-pointers held by Peca Arsic who hit 78 in the 1995-96 season. Gordon needs six three-points to tie the America East three-point record held by Bernie Cieplicki of Vermont who hit 91 during the 1995-96 season. Gordon has drained his 85 three-pointers on just 181 shots for a three-point percentage of .470 which currently ranks the UD single-record and tied for fourth best in America East. Kevin Blackhurst drained .452 percent of his three-point attempts during the 1989-90 season. HOT SHOOTING GORDON: John Gordon has been a catalyst in the Hens 13-game winning streak with his three-point shooting. Gordon has buried 59.0 percent (46 of 78) of his three-pointers during the streak and has led the Hens in scoring averaging 19.4 per game during the winning streak. Gordon tied the UD record for three-pointers in a game when he rained in seven treys against Hofstra on Feb. 10. Gordon has hit six three-pointers in a game against Towson on both Feb. 7 and Feb. 27 (America East Quarterfinals). POLL WATCHING: Delaware stayed in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the second consecutive week. The Hens have received one vote in the poll March 1 and the Feb. 22 poll. Earlier this season, the Hens received votes in the Dec. 5, 12, and Jan. 10 polls. VICTORY MARGIN: In Delaware's 87-74 victory over Maine on Feb. 18, the Hens moved into the America East lead in scoring margin. The Hens have outscored their opponents by 10.2 ppg (19th in the nation) and by 17.1 ppg during the 13-game winning streak. In Delaware's five losses, three of the losses were by 10 points or less. The Hens lost to Virginia 72-64 on Dec. 27, Vermont 64-63 on Jan. 14, Hofstra 78-76 on Jan. 19. Delaware lost to College of Charleston 80-55 on Dec. 22, and Maine 70-59 on Jan. 22 for two losses greater by 10 points. SPEED LIMIT 70: In Delaware's 91-75 victory over Hofstra on Feb. 10, Mike Brey became only the fourth men's basketball coach in Delaware history to win 70 games. He is also the fastest coach to reach 70 wins in Delaware history. Brey won 70 games in 113 games and the second fastest is Steve Steinwedel (1985-95) who won 70 games in 135 games. Brey also joins Irv Wisniewski (1954-66) and Ronald Rainey (1976-85) who also had 70 wins at Delaware. STRAIGHT SHOOTERS: Straight shooting has played a big part in the Blue Hens' 25-5 record this season. As a team, Delaware is shooting .473 (1st in America East) from the field and .729 (2nd in America East, 31st in the nation) from the line. Kestutis Marciulionis leads Delaware from the line shooting 82.4 percent The Hens have made 513 free throws on the season while their opponents have attempted 536 free throws. The Hens are hitting .379 (2nd in America East) from the three-point line and have made an average of 6.7 (3rd in America East) per game, including a school record 12 vs. Delaware State Nov. 18 and 10 in the win over Howard Nov. 25. John Gordon leads the Blue Hens shooting .470 (85 of 181, 1st in America East) from three point land. The Blue Hens have made at least one three pointer in the last 260 games. Bucknell on Nov. 28, 1990 was the last team to hold UD without a three pointer. PEGUES IN THE UD TOP 10: Mike Pegues has started his climb up the University of Delaware career scoring list since scoring his 1,000 point against Towson University on January 10. Pegues, who scored 18 points vs. Drexel on March 6, now has 1,340 career points to rank sixth all-time, 28 points shy of the No. 6 spot held by forward Oscar Jones (1982-86). Pegues scored 202 points as a freshman (6.5 ppg), 486 points as a sophomore (16.8 ppg), and 652 points this season (21.9 ppg). Pegues' 652 points currently rank as the second best single-season performance in UD history. MIKE PEGUES & THE RECORD BOOK: Pegues is on the verge of breaking the single-season in many different categories. Pegues needs nine points to break the single-season scoring record held by Greg Smith (660 points, 1995-96 season). He needs to make six field goals to break Smith's single-season record (241 field goals, 1995-96). He needs to attempt one shot to break the record held by Jim Smith (468 field goal attempts, 1955-56). In less glamorous categories, Pegues needs six turnovers to break the record held by Oscar Jones (118 turnovers, 1984-85) and needs 12 personal fouls to break the record held by Darryl Presley (104 personal fouls, 1997-98). TOUGH DEFENSE: The Hens have become very difficult to score against during their 13-game winning streak. The Hens have allowed the opposition to shoot just 39.5 percent (315 of 797) during the winning streak and only 30.0 percent (67 of 233) during the streak. The Hens have allowed opponents to score just 66.4 ppg during the streak and 67.9 per game on the season. DEADLY OFFENSE: Delaware has had the hot hand shooting the ball during its 13-game winning streak. The Blue Hens are shooting an unbelievable 50.5 percent (383 of 759) from the field and 44.4 percent (103 of 232) from three-point range and have shot better than 50 percent from the field in the last eight games. The Hens are averaging 83.5 ppg during the streak defeating their opponents by an average of 17.1 ppg. The Hens have won their last 10 games by 13 points or more. The Hens have led during the streak by John Gordon who is averaging 19.4 ppg and shooting 59.0 percent (46 of 78) from three-point range. IRON MEN: When Tyrone Perry steps onto the Charlotte Coliseum floor on Friday, he will have set his second Delaware record in less than week. On March 6, Perry set the Delaware consecutive games played record with 118 games. Perry broke the old mark of 117 games held by Alex Coles, who played from 1988-92. Today, Perry will break the all-time games played record at Delaware with 119 games. The old record of 118 games is held by Anthony Wright who played from 1989-93. John Bennett became only the ninth player in Blue Hen history to play in 110 games when he played against Drexel on March 6. IRON MEN II: Mike Pegues and John Gordon have been iron men for the Blue Hens this season with each logging over 1,000 minutes of playing time. They have become only the eighth and ninth players all-time to record over 1,000 minutes of playing time. Gordon has recorded 1,095 minutes of playing time which ranks third all-time while Pegues' 1,055 minutes ranks fourth. If John Gordon plays 27 minutes in Delaware's first round game, he will break the Delaware record for minutes played in a single-season held by Keith Davis who played 1,121 minutes in 1996-97 season. FREE THROW MARKSMEN: Putting the Blue Hens on the free throw line is a risky proposition for Blue Hens opponents as the Blue Hens are shooting 72.9 percent (31st in the nation) from the line. Seven of the eight Blue Hen regulars are shooting above 70 percent from the line and two are shooting above 80 percent. The only Blue Hen regular not shooting above 70 percent is John Bennett who is shooting only 39.2 percent from the line. CENTER OF ATTENTION: Senior center John Bennett has been a force inside for the Blue Hens. Bennett had career-highs in points, rebounds, and blocks against American in the season opener on Nov. 14 with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and a school-record tying eight blocks. Bennett followed that effort with a seven point, six rebound, four block effort against Delaware State. Against Rider, Bennett had six points, nine rebounds, and five blocks. Bennett has 91 blocks (which led America East and ranks 8th in the NCAA) in 884 minutes of action, averaging a block every 9.7 minutes of action. Bennett holds the school record for consecutive games with a block. Bennett has blocked a shot in Delaware's last 31 games dating back to last season. Bennett is five blocks shy of the single-season record of 96 blocks held by Spencer Dunkley who rejected 96 shots in the 1992-93 season. Blue Hen Broken Records • Single game attendance - 5,209 vs. 3 teams (Old record - 5,205 vs. Boston University) • Most points by a Blue Hen at the Bob Carpenter Center - 33, Kestutis Marciulionis vs. Drexel, 1/27/99 (Old record - 31, Greg Smith vs. Delaware St., 11/22/96) • Most three-point by Delaware at the Bob Carpenter Center and in all games - 12 vs. Delaware St., 11/18/98 and Towson, 2/27/99 (Old record - 11 vs. Monmouth, 12/22/94) • Three-pointers by Delaware in a single season - 205 (Old record - 177, 1997-98) • Consecutive games played - 118 games by Tyrone Perry (Old record - 117 games by Alex Coles) • Consecutive games with a block - 31 games by John Bennett (Old record - 27 games by Spencer Dunkley) • Three-pointers by a player in a single season - 85 by John Gordon (Old record - 78 by Peca Arsic) CENTURY MARK FOR BREY: When University of Delaware faced Boston University on January 5 in a rematch of last year's America East Championship game, he became the ninth coach in Delaware history to coach 100 games and his winning percentage in the third best of that group of 100 games with a record of 60-40. PRESLEY TO MISS SEASON: University of Delaware junior forward Darryl Presley, last year's America East Tournament Most Valuable Player, will miss the entire the 1998-99 season. Presley is suspended from the University until June 1 for violating the UD Academic Code. Presley will be able to re-enroll at the University and be eligible to compete for the Blue Hens during the 1999-2000 season. Presley, a transfer from the University of Virginia, averaged 12.9 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game last season. He scored 25 points and pulled in 13 rebounds in the America East championship game victory over Boston University. DC CONNECTION: The Delaware-Washington, DC connection was reduced by one with the graduation of Keith Davis, but the Blue Hens still have a nation's capital flavor. Head coach Mike Brey, a Rockville, MD native, played and coached at famed DeMatha High School and junior forward is also a DeMatha product as is second year assistant coach Kenny Blakeney, a former player at Duke under Brey. The Blue Hens are 3-1 in Washington, DC under Brey, defeating American and Howard in the nation's capital this season. DELAWARE REVIVAL: Transfer Keith Davis (VCU) and Darryl Presley (Virginia) both revived their college careers at the University of Delaware last season and took the team NCAA Tournament. Two more transfers have led Delaware to the NCAA Tournament this season. Junior guard John Gordon (Maine) and Ndongo Ndiaye (Providence) became eligible after sitting out last season. Gordon is already an established player in America East, having earned first team All-league honors in 1996-97. Ndiaye, who became eligible on Dec. 21, was a key frontcourt backup for the Friars the past two seasons. A third transfer, 6-2 junior guard Billy Wells from Baltimore's Dunbar HS, will sit out this season after transferring from Tulane. FOREIGN FLAVOR: Delaware's 1998-99 squad continues to have a strong influence of foreign players. Five of Delaware's 13 players are from outside the United State, including the Senegal threesome of Mohamed Niang, Ndongo Ndiaye, and Madou Diouf, Lithuania native Kestutis Marciulionis and Mexico product Fred Gonzalez. Marciulionis played with the Lithuania Under 22 team in Italy last summer while Ndiaye and Diouf were members of the Senegal National team that played in the World Championships in Greece in July.
• Delaware junior Mike Pegues, the nation's No. 14 scored at 21.7 ppg had a streak of 40 straight games scoring in double figures snapped on Jan. 29 against Northeastern. His season-low nine points was his lowest since scoring four points in a 68-63 overtime win over Towson on Dec. 9, 1997. Pegues had scored 21 or more points 17 times and 30 or more seven times during the streak. The Delaware record of consecutive double digit games is 48 by Greg Smith during 1995-1997 seasons. • Delaware continues to be one of the nation's most consistent free throw shooting teams. The Hens have not shot lower than 70 percent as a team over the last four seasons, shooting .741 in 1995-96 (12th in NCAA), .749 in 1996-97 (4th in NCAA), .719 last season (2nd in America East), and .729 this season (2nd in America East, 31st in nation). • Senior center John Bennett ranked third in America East in blocks last season with 40, despite averaging just 16.7 minutes per game. Average that out for an entire game and Bennett would rank among the nation's best at 3.2 swats per game. Bennett showed what he can do in a full game, rejecting a school-record eight shots in 39 minutes of action against American. Bennett is blocking a shot every 9.7 minutes. He ranks eighth in the NCAA this season with 91 rejections. • Sophomore guard Madou Diouf ranks third on the Blue Hens in rebounds this season averaging 5.0 per game while just playing 14.2 minutes per game. Average that out for an entire game and Diouf would rank among the nation's best at 14.1 boards per game. • The 6-10 Bennett and 5-11 senior guard Tyrone Perry, Delaware's co-captains this season, were both star quarterbacks in high school in addition to their fine exploits on the court. Bennett played his high-school ball at Middletown (Md.) HS while Perry was a standout at Warwick (Va.) HS. • Sophomore swingman Greg Miller's younger brother, Dan, was one of the nation's most highly-recruited players in high school last season. He signed with Maryland and is currently playing a key role off the bench for the Terrapins this season, averaging 4.1 ppg in 31 games this season. • Delaware is 6-0 when the Hens have two or more players score 20 points or more, 23-1 when scoring more than 70 pts., 17-1 when holding the opposition under 70 points. The Hens 20-1 when leading at the half and 22-1 when leading with 2:00 remaining. The Blue Hens are 14-1 when they score first and 9-1 when shooting above 50 percent from the field.
|
