Hagins, Freshmen Guards Help Blue Hens Win Fifth Straight and Snap Losing Streak at Hofstra With 71-57 Win Over the Pride
February 14, 2012
• Boxscore
File photo courtesy of Mark Campbell
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Junior forward Jamelle Hagins posted his 13th double-double of the season with 14 points and 18 rebounds, while all three Blue Hen freshmen guards reached double figures as the University of Delaware men's basketball team snapped an 11-game losing streak at Hofstra and won its fifth straight contest with a 71-57 triumph over the Pride Tuesday night at the Mack Sports Complex.
The Blue Hens, who had not won in Hempstead since a 79-74 victory on Nov. 30, 2000, have now taken five straight Colonial Athletic Association games since opening the 2007-08 season with five conference victories. Delaware improved to 14-12 overall and 10-6 in league play, reaching double figures in CAA wins for just the second time, joining the 2003-04 squad that finished 10-8 in the conference.
Hagins (at right) went 7 of 9 from the field and blocked four shots for Delaware and now has 194 career blocks, just one shy of the school record held by Spencer Dunkley. Jarvis Threatt scored 20 points off the bench as the freshman, who set UD rookie records by going 13 of 15 from the free throw line Saturday at Georgia State, continued to impress from the charity stripe by hitting 13 of 14 from the line against the Pride.
Khalid Lewis had 12 points to go with three assists and two steals for the Blue Hens, who swept Hofstra in a season series for the first time since 1997-98. Classmate Kyle Anderson also contributed 12 points on four three-pointers and also grabbed five rebounds, while Josh Brinkley had nine points. Delaware utilized a three-guard freshmen lineup for a majority of the second half as leading scorer Devon Saddler was plagued with foul trouble most of the period and finished with just four points.
Mike Moore, the CAA’s leading scorer at 19.3 points per game, led the Pride with 16 points but went just 5 of 16 from the field. Nathaniel Lester added 11 points while Stevie Mejia contributed 10 for Hofstra, which lost its fourth straight game and seventh of eight while falling to 8-20 overall and 2-14 in league play.
Delaware, which entered the game ranked 30th in Division I in opponents’ field goal percentage, limited the Pride to just 28.1 percent shooting as Hofstra connected on only 16 of 57 shots from the field. The Blue Hens shot 45.1 percent (23 of 51) and for the second straight game helped themselves from the foul line, hitting 19 of 22 from the charity stripe.
“I thought defensively in the second half we were very sharp, and we did a good job of holding Hofstra to one shot,” said Delaware sixth-year head coach Monté Ross. “We are playing with a lot of confidence offensively, and our defense is contributing to our offense as well. For most of the second half we played three freshmen guards, and they responded admirably.”
Delaware jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on a jumphook by Brinkley followed by two Hagins baskets, forcing a Hofstra timeout just 2:18 into the game. Moore finally put the Pride on the board with a three-pointer but the Blue Hens answered with an 8-0 spurt, highlighted by two three-pointers from Anderson, to take a 14-3 lead with 14:31 left in the first half.
Delaware led by as many as 13 points during the period, but Mejia helped the Pride get back into the game by scoring eight consecutive Hofstra points, while two free throws by Stephen Nwaukoni made it a 22-18 game with 7:58 on the clock. Threatt answered for the Blue Hens but the Pride would eventually knot the contest at 28-28 following three straight baskets by Moore. However Threatt buried a three-pointer, Saddler hit two free throws and Brinkley scored inside for a quick 7-0 UD run, and after four free throws by Lester, Lewis hit one foul shot with 0.9 seconds left to give Delaware a 36-32 advantage at the break.
Mejia opened the second half with a basket for the Pride but the Blue Hens used another 7-0 spurt, capped with an Anderson triple, to go back up nine at 43-34 with 17:49 to play. Delaware was still up nine at 49-40 following two Threatt free throws but Hofstra erupted for a 10-0 run, closed with a Moore three-pointer, to take its first lead of the night at 50-49 at the 7:57 mark.
However Delaware would immediately respond with a 16-2 run to put the game away. Hagins ignited the spurt with a powerful left-handed follow dunk, while Lewis found Brinkley inside for a layup to give UD a three-point cushion with 6:51 on the clock.
Mike Moore hit one free throw for the Pride but baskets by Threatt and Hagins extended the UD margin to six, before Lewis barely beat the shot clock with a clutch three-pointer from the top of the key to put the Blue Hens up 60-51 with 2:42 left. The Delaware lead eventually grew to as much ast 17 on a pair of free throws by Threatt in the final minute as the Hens posted their fifth double digit conference victory of the season.
UD will look to win its sixth consecutive game on Saturday when the Blue Hens host Hampton at the Bob Carpenter Center at 2 p.m. in a Sears BracketBusters game.
Back To Men's Basketball Home Men's Basketball Story Archive
