Dominating Effort from Hagins Lifts Delaware to 58-42 Route 1 Rivalry Victory over Delaware State
December 10, 2011
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• Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell
DOVER, Del. -- The story all week in the annual Route 1 Rivalry men's basketball battle between Delaware and Delaware State was the on-the-court matchup of brothers and opponents Jay and Jarvis Threatt.
But the center of attention on Saturday afternoon at Delaware State's Memorial Hall quickly became Blue Hen 6-9 junior forward Jamelle Hagins (at right), who posted career-highs with 21 points and 19 rebounds and added five blocks to lead the Blue Hens (4-4) to a 58-42 victory.
Hagins’ outburst, his fifth straight double-double, helped the Blue Hens win their first road game of the season and snap a six-game road losing streak that dated back to last season. The 42 points by Delaware State was the lowest total allowed by the Hens away from home since posting a 59-39 win over Colgate on Dec. 27, 1985 at the Albright (Pa.) Invitational.
The Hens improved to 10-2 all-time in the intrastate rivalry, winning for the second straight year and avenging a 75-67 setback in their last visit to Dover on Dec. 1, 2009.
"We thought we had an advantage inside and we wanted to exploit that," said Delaware head coach Monté Ross. "Jamelle was a man tonight. He is really starting to assert himself, and when he does that, it really opens up things for our guards. We got lulled into Delaware State's tempo in the first half but in the second half we did a better job of playing the way we wanted to."
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Delaware State (4-5) got 15 points from Casey Walker and 14 more from Amere May but could never get closer than 14 points over the final 15 minutes of play as an early 12-0 second half run by Delaware put the Hens in control at 45-22 with 12:17 left. The Hornets played without the services of leading scorer Tahj Tate (15.0 points per game) who was serving a suspension. In addition, veteran point guard Jay Threatt was hobbled by an existing ankle injury throughout the game.
Delaware, which shot a sizzling 56.5 percent from the field (13 for 23) in the second half to take control, also got 16 points from guard Devon Saddler (at left) with Kyle Anderson providing nine points on three three-pointers. Saddler, the team’s leading scorer at 21.3 ppg, bounced back after netting a season-low six points in a 69-60 loss at Penn Wednesday night.
Hagins, who became the first Delaware player to record five straight double-doubles since Harding Nana accomplished the feat during the 2005-06 season, surpassed his previous scoring high of 18 points at Delaware State set two seasons ago and bested his previous career-high rebound total of 17 established against William & Mary last Jan. 5.
The Threatt brothers shared the floor for much of the second half, meeting each other on the court for the first time with 11:20 left to play. The duo even guarded each other on the perimeter, bringing loud cheers from a throng of family members and friends who chartered a bus to the game from their hometown of Richmond, Va.
Jay Threatt was limited to 25 minutes of action due to an ankle injury, including just five minutes in the opening half, and finished with six points, three assists, and three steals. Jarvis Threatt, a freshman guard for the Hens, also contributed six points and three assists in 21 minutes of action.
Delaware pulled away from a 25-18 halftime lead, taking control thanks to a 12-0 run that included a Hagins dunk and free throw and three-pointers from Anderson and Saddler. The run helped Delaware increase an 11-point lead to 23 points at 45-22 with 12:17 left to play.
The Hornets fought back, using a 6-0 run to narrow the gap to 49-35 with 3:52 left, but the Hens answered with a three by Saddler and baskets from Hagins and Threatt to end any threat.
Delaware took the 25-18 lead at halftime, posting its best defensive effort for a half this season and allowing its fewest points in any stanza since Howard managed just 18 second half points in a 66-34 Blue Hen win on Nov. 19, 2010 at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Delaware State shot just 6 of 23 from the field and committed nine turnovers in the first half but stayed in the game thanks to a 23-15 rebounding advantage. The Hens struggled as well, hitting just 8 of 26 shots from the field, including 3 of 11 shooting from longe range.
The Blue Hens will take a short break for final exams before returning to action Dec. 19 to host La Salle University at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center. Plenty of great seats remain and can be purchased online at www.bluehens.com or by phone at 302-831-2257.
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