Cushing’s Game-Winning Three-Pointer Gives Blue Hens Dramatic 79-78 Victory Over Elon

Saturday, January 18

Newark, DE

2:00 PM

University of Delaware

13-7,3-4CAA

Elon

5-15,1-6CAA

Elon

Delaware

Photo by: Ryan Griffith

Cushing’s Game-Winning Three-Pointer Gives Blue Hens Dramatic 79-78 Victory Over Elon

1/18/2020 5:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. – Blue Hen senior Jacob Cushing hit a clutch three-pointer with five seconds left to give Delaware a dramatic 79-78 win over Elon in a Colonial Athletic Association thriller Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

In a seesaw battle that featured 18 lead changes, including 13 in the second half, the Blue Hens trailed by a pair after Elon guard Marcus Sheffield II hit one of two free throws with 17 seconds to play.

Ryan Allen then drove the left baseline before finding Cushing near the top of the key, and the senior buried a 25-footer to put Delaware on top. After the Blue Hens called time out Elon could not get off a final shot, setting off the UD celebration.

Nate Darling led the Blue Hens with 21 points, his ninth 20-point effort of the season, while Allen finished with 18 as both players knocked down five triples on the day. Justyn Mutts was the third Blue Hen in double figures with 17 points while Kevin Anderson finished with seven points, a season-high 10 rebounds and six assists.

Elon, which fell to 0-10 on the road, led by as many as seven in the first half before an Anderson layup and a Darling three-pointer cut the margin to 35-33 at the break.

The Blue Hens took a 41-37 advantage with 18 minutes to play, but the Phoenix scored the next four points and neither team led by more than three the rest of the way.

Anderson hit a game-tying three with 1:13 to play, and after a three-point play by Elon's Hunter McIntosh, Allen knotted the game at 75-75 on a triple with 52 seconds left. After Sheffield hit two free throws, Mutts went one of two from the line to cut Elon's lead to a point. Sheffield then hit one of two foul shots, before Cushing's game-winner.

Martin Ingelsby
"Give Jake a lot of credit, he just continues to work. He's an older, experienced guy who shoots the ball well in practice, and he hit a heck of a shot for us today. He's got a great attitude and stepped up to give us a really important win. We needed that one. We found a way, and we can use this momentum and positive energy moving forward."

Jacob Cushing
"That shot meant a lot, it's a huge win that we really needed. The ball felt good leaving my hands, and I'm just glad I could contribute to the win. When Ryan drove I was just trying to fill the top of the key and was ready to knock it down."

Nate Darling
"Jake hit that big shot, and we're really happy for him. I felt like we were locked in as a team today, and hopefully we can continue that going forward. We've been struggling , but hopefully we can turn it around the rest of the CAA season."