Blue Hens Use Early Second Half Run To Defeat UNCW, 70-66

Saturday, February 9

Bob Carpenter Center

7:00 PM

University of Delaware

15-11, 7-6CAA

UNCW

8-18, 4-9CAA

UNCW

Delaware

Photo by: Jeff Fannon

Blue Hens Use Early Second Half Run To Defeat UNCW, 70-66

2/9/2019 10:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. – Delaware used a 20-4 run in the early part of the second half to break open a close game and held on down the stretch as the Blue Hens posted a 70-66 victory over UNCW Saturday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware (15-11, 7-6 CAA) took a 37-29 lead into halftime, but UNCW (8-18, 4-9 CAA) hit a pair of three-pointers to quickly close within two a minute into the period. However the Blue Hens immediately answered with a 10-0 run, and following a Seahawks bucket, scored six more in a row to go up 53-37 on a Darian Bryant fastbreak layup.

Devontae Cacok countered with a layup for UNCW, but Matt Veretto and Kevin Anderson each nailed three-pointers to make it a 59-39 game with 10:35 left. The Seahawks scored 11 straight points to close within 67-61 with 48 seconds left and later pulled within three at 69-66, but Anderson sealed the win by hitting a free throw with four seconds on the clock.

Ryan Allen led a balanced Blue Hen attack with 15 points while Anderson added 14, all in the second half. Eric Carter notched his 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-best 13 rebounds, while Ryan Johnson contributed 10 points in his return to the starting lineup.

Delaware shot over 50 percent in each half, finishing at 52.9 percent for the game. The Blue Hens dished out 14 assists on the night, but connected on just 7 of 16 free throw attempts.

Jeantal Cylla paced UNCW with 16 points, while Cacok posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Seahawks shot 38.7 percent from the floor, including just 8 of 21 from behind the arc.

Head Coach Martin Ingelsby
"Our guys stayed together and the communication was good down the stretch, which is an area of growth with our team. We continue to go through these moments to get better. Late in games we've got to continue to play the same way offensively we did in the first 35 minutes to get the lead. For the most part we were good against pressure, we just have to be strong with the ball."

"I really challenged the group at halftime, and we got into a great flow offensively in the second half. When we share the ball and guys are making shots, we're potent offensively. Eric (Carter) was moving well, was efficient offensively and rebounded well, and it will be nice to see him healthy down the stretch."

Ryan Johnson
"We've struggled at the start of the second half lately, so we challenged the team to play our best basketball coming out of halftime, and the guys accepted the challenge. This was a must-win tonight, and a sigh of relief because we know what we can accomplish. We've got to be better with the ball at the end of the game."

Game Notes
• Delaware snapped a three-game losing streak
• UNCW dropped its fifth straight contest
• The Blue Hens defeated the Seahawks for the fourth consecutive meeting
• Carter is just seven points shy of 1,000 for his career
• Carter moved into eighth place in UD history with 764 career rebounds
• Johnson reached double figures for the second time in three games
• Delaware surpassed its win total from last season with five regular season games remaining