Blue Hens’ Comeback Falls Just Short as Lafayette Men’s Basketball Hangs On To Defeat Delaware, 63-60
November 28, 2012
Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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• Boxscore
EASTON, Pa. -- The University of Delaware men’s basketball team rallied from a 20-point deficit to within three, but Kyle Anderson’s three-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out as Lafayette held on for a 63-60 non-league victory over the Blue Hens Wednesday night at the Kirby Athletic Center.
Lafayette, which snapped a six-game losing streak to a Blue Hens, also broke a five-game skid as the Leopards improved to 2-6 on the year. Delaware, which has lost four straight for the first time since February, 2011, fell to 2-5 on the campaign.
Lafayette, which played a zone for the entire game, shot 46.2 percent from the field and hit 14 of 27 shots during the opening period as the Leopards jumped out to a 37-21 halftime lead. The Blue Hens finished 21 of 58 from the field for a 36.2 percentage, and connected on just 8 of 27 three-point attempts. Senior forward Josh Brinkley returned from a two-game absence but played just three minutes, while sophomore guard Jarvis Threatt sat out his second consecutive game with an abdominal injury.
The Blue Hens did enjoy a 41-26 rebounding advantage, as senior Jamelle Hagins (at right) grabbed a career-high 23 boards to become just the fifth UD player in school history to eclipse the 800-rebound mark. Hagins also scored a game-high 18 points, knocking down 5 of 7 shots from the field and going a perfect 8 of 8 from the foul line while adding five blocks. Devon Saddler, the CAA’s leading scorer, added 17 points but went just 6 of 19 from the floor, while Kyle Anderson was the third Blue Hen in double figures with 11 points. Hagins, Saddler, and Anderson played all 40 minutes for Delaware.
Dan Trist led a balanced Lafayette effort with 16 points while Tony Johnson, Joey Ptasinski and Seth Hinrichs all chipped in 13.
Delaware took an 11-8 lead on a three-pointer by Anderson six minutes into the game, but Lafayette erupted with a 14-0 run, capped on three-pointers by Ptasinski and Levi Giese, to take a 22-11 lead with 7:38 left in the opening half. Meanwhile Delaware missed nine consecutive shots from the field and committed four turnovers while going scoreless for over seven minutes.
Hagins ended the Blue Hen drought with a pair of free throws before Marvin King-Davis scored inside, but the Leopards continued to build the lead as consecutive triples by Ptasinski and Hinrichs made it 30-17 at the 4:07 mark.
The lead grew to as much as 18 late in the period, before a basket in the paint by Saddler cut the Lafayette margin to 37-21 at the break.
Lafayette shot 51.9 percent from the field on 14 of 27 shooting during the opening half, including 5 of 9 from three-point range. On the other hand Delaware was just 8 of 29 from the field for a 27.6 percentage, and connected on just 3 of 15 long-range attempts.
The Leopards opened the second half with a pair of baskets, and Lafayette was still up 20 before a quick 7-0 UD run on an Anderson three-pointer, Hagins jump hook and Carl Baptiste jumper brought Delaware within 45-32 with 15 minutes to play. Zach Rufer answered with a free throw for the Leopards, but Saddler hit two free throw and then buried a three-pointer from the right corner as UD closed within single digits at 46-37 at the 12:42 mark.
Lafayette extended the margin back to 12 points, before Hagins hit two free throws and then threw down a dunk to cut the Leopards advantage to 51-43 with 8:17 to play. A Terrell Rogers three-pointer closed the gap to six, but a Johnson jumper and a layup by Trist put the Lafayette lead back in double digits at 56-46 with five minutes to remaining.
Saddler hit a three-pointer and Hagins drained a pair from the foul line to bring the Blue Hens within five, but Johnson scored on a driving layup as the Leopards went back up seven at the 3:43 mark. Following two scoreless minutes, Anderson then connected from long range to make it a 58-54 game with 1:40 to play to keep Delaware in the game.
Trist then scored on a layup with 1:05 left but Delaware would not quit, as Rogers hit a runner in the paint to cut the deficit to 61-58 with 20.9 seconds left. Ptasinski then hit two free throws, before Rogers found Baptiste for a dunk with :04.8 seconds on the clock. The Blue Hens had a final chance to tie the game when Lafayette threw the inbounds pass away, but Anderson’s three-pointer from the top of the key just before the buzzer fell off the left side of the rim.
“Credit Lafayette, they were ready to go from the start,” said seventh-year Blue Hen head coach Monté Ross. “Our guys set the tone with eight turnovers in the first half, and give Lafayette credit for capitalizing on them. We did a good job coming back against the zone later in the game, but getting down 20 in the second half is a recipe for disaster. We just dug ourselves too deep a hole.”
The Blue Hens will look to bounce back on Saturday when Delaware faces second-ranked Duke at 2 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
