Delaware Outlasts Columbia, 87-86 in Double Overtime, For Third Straight Win

Sunday, December 2

New York, NY

2:00 PM

University of Delaware

6-2

Columbia

1-4

OT 1

OT 2

Delaware

Columbia

Photo by: Mark Jordan

Delaware Outlasts Columbia, 87-86 in Double Overtime, For Third Straight Win

12/2/2018 5:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEW YORK – Darian Bryant buried a go-ahead three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining and then blocked a Columbia shot in the final seconds as Delaware edged the Lions, 87-86 in double overtime, Sunday afternoon at Levien Gymnasium.

The Blue Hens (7-2) trailed by three early in the second overtime session, but battled back to tie the game at 84-84 when Kevin Anderson found Ithiel Horton for a layup.

Columbia's Mike Smith made a steal and a layup with 29 seconds left to put the Lions back on top, but Bryant answered by drilling a three-pointer from the left corner for the game-winning bucket. Columbia (1-5) had a final possession, but Bryant blocked a layup by Smith with three seconds on the clock. A jump ball gave the Lions another possession, but Gabe Stefanini's last second jumper was off the mark.

Eric Carter scored 21 points and tied his career-high with 15 rebounds for Delaware, while freshmen Matt Veretto and Horton added a season-high 20 apiece. Veretto knocked down 6 of 7 three-point attempts while Horton went 4 of 7 from deep and played all 50 minutes.

Anderson as the fourth Blue Hen in double figures with 11 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists. Smith tied his career-best with 31 points for Columbia, while Quinton Adlesh contributed a season-high 19 points.

Delaware shot 47.6 percent from the field, including 15 of 23 from three-point range. Columbia posted a 45.7 field goal percentage and was also efficient from deep, going 13 of 25 from behind the arc.

The first half was even throughout, as neither team led by more than five points. Delaware used an eight-point run to take a 23-20 advantage on a Carter layup at the 8:30 mark, and the Blue Hens were still up three at 27-24 with seven minutes on the clock. However the Lions answered with five straight and eventually took a 35-33 margin into the break.

Delaware exploded out of the gate in the second half, scoring 13 of the first 15 points of the period and taking a 46-37 lead with 15:29 left following two straight Veretto triples. The Blue Hens were up 70-65 with 57 seconds to go, but Smith hit a layup and then drilled a three-pointer to force overtime.

Carter scored on a putback to put the Blue Hens back up three in the first overtime period, but Stefanini answered with a three-pointer to force the second extra session.

Head Coach Martin Ingelsby
"That was two good teams going at it; I'm proud of our group for showing a lot of resiliency. Our young guys were fantastic, and everybody stepped up and made big plays. We're building a program, and to be able to go on the road and win in somebody else's building is a big step for us."

Eric Carter
"This was a tough environment and Columbia played great, but this win shows real determination and focus from our group. The freshmen played phenomenal. We've been in these situations before, and now we feel like we'll win these types of games. It's great to get these two wins on the road this weekend."

Game Notes
• Delaware won for the seventh time in eight games
• UD has won four straight road games for the first time since 2014-15
• Delaware played its first double overtime game since a 73-71 home win over Drexel on Feb. 21, 2013
• The Blue Hens improved to 5-0 in overtime games under Ingelsby
• Veretto hit his first six three-point attempts, tied for the second best start to a game in UD history
• Carter posted his third double-double of the year and moved into 18th place at UD with 593 career rebounds
• Delaware's 15 three-pointers are the most since 2003 and tied for the fourth most in program history
• All five Blue Hen starters played at least 42 minutes
• UD now leads the all-time series with Columbia, 6-2