University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
1-0
Delaware State
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 31 | 31 | 62 |
| Delaware State | 37 | 19 | 56 |
Blue Hens Storm Back, Post 62-56 Win at Delaware State in Season Opener
11/13/2015 10:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
• Boxscore
DOVER, Del. -- The University of Delaware men's basketball team wasn't going to let a little adversity get it down in the Blue Hens' season opener Friday night at Delaware State.
Trailing by 13 points on the road midway through the second half, the Blue Hens held Delaware State to just four points over the final 12 minutes of play and scored 12 straight points during one span to post a 62-56 victory at Memorial Gym and capture their first season-opening win in 10 years.
Senior Marvin King-Davis led four Blue Hens in double figures with a game-high 13 points and also pulled down 12 rebounds while sophomore Chivarsky Corbett and Cazmon Hayes each added 12 more as Delaware won its first season opener in 10 seasons under head coach Monté Ross.
Delaware State (0-1) built on a six-point halftime lead by outscoring the Hens 12-3 over the first five minutes of the second stanza to take a 49-34 lead and still held a 52-39 advantage following a three-pointer by Joseph Lewis with 13:13 left to play.
But the Blue Hens (1-0) stormed back in a big way after that as Devonne Pinkard (10 points) and Hayes knocked down three-pointers and King-Davis converted a conventional one as part of an 11-2 run. The senior followed with a layup off the break and another free throw and the Hens eventually took the lead for good when Chivarsky tipped in a Pinkard three-point miss with 4:18 left for a 55-54 advantage.
“We were making them take tough shots (in the first half) but they were making them,” said Ross of Delaware State's sizzling start. “We told our guys to keep making sure they contested each shot and rebound the ball. From the second half on we really did that. We are a good shooting team and our shots just weren't going in. I thought we might have a little nerves. But I knew if we kept playing defense and grinding we would be okay. The toughness that our guys displayed tonight is what makes me proud. To get down in a hostile environment like this and keep fighting back, that will help as we go along.”
Overall, Delaware outscored the Hornets 23-4 to close out the game, holding Delaware State to only a layup by Mrdjan Gasevic with 6:57 left and a layup by Artem Tavakalyan in the closing seconds.
Delaware State came out hot in the first half, knocking down seven three-pointers on just 18 attempts to jump out to leads of 25-15 and 27-17. The Hens clamped down late and used a 9-0 run to eventually close to within 37-31 at the break.
“It seemed like were down a long time,” said King-Davis of the Hens' early troubles. “We were playing decent defense but they just made their shots. Our defense really game together over those last 12 minutes. We know we have to play better defense. We might not be able to come back next time.”
Devin Morgan scored all of his team-high 10 points in the first half for Delaware State.
HEN SCRATCHINGS:
• Delaware will continue action Nov. 20 at Iona
• Delaware opened its 111th season of action
• The Blue Hens won their first season opener since downing The Citadel 77-57 in Raleigh, N.C. on Nov. 18, 2005
• Delaware now leads the series by a 12-4 margin and has won seven of the last eight games and three straight in Dover
• Delaware sophomore Kory Holden added nine points and a game-high five assists for Delaware
• The Blue Hens overcame 15 turnovers, including nine in the first half
• Delaware has now won 10 of its last 17 games since last season
