Delaware Suffers Another Tough Loss at Home, Falls to CAA Foe Hofstra 61-58
February 12, 2011
Photo Courtesy of Chris Mlynarczyk
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• Boxscore
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware stormed back from an 11-point deficit with under six minutes left to make it a game, but Hofstra All-American guard Charles Jenkins scored six points in the final two minutes to clinch it for the Pride as the Blue Hens dropped their fifth straight in a 61-58 Colonial Athletic Association setback Saturday afternoon at the Carpenter Center.
Delaware freshman Devon Saddler (at right) scored a career-high 25 points, including four three-pointers, for the Blue Hens, but no other UD player reached doubles figures as the Blue Hens fell to 11-15 (6-9 CAA). Saddler, who led UD in scoring for the seventh time in eight games, went 4 of 6 from three-point range and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds. His 25 points are tied for the fourth most in a game by a Blue Hen freshman in school history.
Kelvin McNeil added nine points and eight rebounds for Delaware, which also lost its fifth straight home game. Jamelle Hagins contributed seven points and tied McNeil with a team-high eight boards, while Jawan Carter added nine points. The Blue Hens shot just 5 of 26 from the field in the opening half, allowing the Pride to jump out to a 31-20 advantage at the break.
Jenkins, the CAA's leading scorer and the all-time leading scorer in Hofstra history, finished with a game-high 23 points while Mike Moore added 17 points and David Imes finished with six points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Greg Washington added 11 points and six boards for the Pride, which improved to 17-9 (11-4 CAA) with their third straight victory. Hofstra defeated Delaware for the fifth consecutive meeting and for the 17th time in the last 21 matchups.
Hofstra, which never trailed in the game, used two free throws by Jenkins and a three-pointer by Moore to go ahead 53-42 with 5:42 remaining, but Delaware would rally with an 11-2 spurt to get back in the game. Saddler opened the run with a three-pointer, and after he hit one free throw, McNeil scored in the paint to make it a five-point game. Moore answered with a pair of free throws for the Pride, but Carter drained a three-pointer and Hagins converted a layup to pull the Blue Hens within 55-53 at the 2:45 mark.
Jenkins hit a 15-foot jumper to put Hofstra back up four, but Saddler drove for a layup to again make it a two-point game with 46.6 seconds to play. However Jenkins was then fouled by Hagins on a drive to the basket, and after he hit both free throw attempts, he blocked a driving shot by Saddler and grabbed the loose ball. After getting fouled on the play, Jenkins added two more free throws with nine seconds to play before Saddler hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to close the scoring.
“They scored the first seven points of the game and at the end of the first half hit a four-point play, and that was the difference at the half,” said fifth-year Blue Hen head coach Monté Ross. “Jenkins is a tough scorer, and I give Devon (Saddler) a lot of credit for matching his numbers today. Devon has really improved his perimeter shooting throughout the season, which is impressive to see.”
Jenkins scored five early points as Hofstra jumped out to a 7-0 lead and forced a UD timeout just 1:37 into the contest, and a jumper by Washington pushed the early advantage to 11-3 five minutes into the game. The Blue Hens scored five of the next six points to get within 12-8 on a Carter three-pointer, but Hofstra countered with a 10-2 spurt to go ahead 22-10 on a Jenkins layup at the 8:25 mark.
Delaware got within seven three times late in the period, but a four-point play by Moore closed the scoring and gave Hofstra the 11-point halftime lead.
The Blue Hens opened the second half with a 6-1 run that closed the gap to 31-26 two minutes into the period when Carter connected from behind the arc. But after both teams recorded a basket, the Pride scored 10 of the next 12 points to take its largest lead of the game at 43-30 when Jenkins hit a three-pointer.
It was still a 10-point game at 45-35 with 11 and a half minutes to go when Delaware used a 7-2 spurt to close within 47-42 at the 7:27 mark following a Hagins free throw. Hofstra would then score six consecutive points to push its margin back to 11, before the Blue Hens made their final push late in the contest.
Delaware is back on the road on Tuesday when the Blue Hens travel to Boston to face Northeastern at 7 p.m.
