University of Delaware Athletics
The Anatomy Of A Game-Winning Shot
1/30/2020 10:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Delaware men's basketball is currently on a three-game win streak, with three wins against Colonial Athletic Association opponents coming by a combined five points. The red-hot Hens have vaulted into a tie for fifth place in the CAA standings (just two games behind first-place William & Mary) behind last-second shots and late comebacks.
Let's break down the game-winning moment from each of the big wins:
1. Jacob Cushing's Game-Winning Three Against Elon
With 16 seconds left, the Blue Hens collected a rebound off a missed free throw, down 78-76. Head Coach Martin Ingelsby chose not to take a timeout. He had faith in his guys.
"I'm not a big fan of calling a timeout at the end of the game," Ingelsby said. "I think you practice that every day, multiple times a week: time and score. And you talk your team through situations. For me, it's really trusting our group and trusting our guards."
With Kevin Anderson fouled out of the game, junior Ryan Allen took over point guard responsibilities. As Justyn Mutts set a ball screen, Allen drove to his left. Three Elon defenders collapsed on Allen at the low block, so he turned and fired a pass to senior forward Jacob Cushing. Cushing hadn't seen much playing time in previous games, but had checked in for the fouled-out Anderson.
As the Phoenix defense crowded Allen, he floated unmarked to the top of the key. After catching the ball he immediately released a shot as several Elon players crashed into his legs. No foul was called, but it didn't matter as Cushing's shot found the bottom of the net.
"It felt like the ball was in the air for a very long time before I actually got it," Cushing said. "I just tried to fill the top of the key and saw Ry throw it back and was just ready to knock it down."
2. Kevin Anderson's Last-Second Drive
Five days later, playing Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y., on the front end of the toughest road swing on the CAA schedule, the Blue Hens faced another down-to-the-wire scenario. This time, Ingelsby did take a timeout in between Pride free throws to draw up a play for Kevin Anderson.
"There was 6.1 seconds to go, so we talked about you got at least six dribbles to get downhill," Ingelsby said. "I told him: try to get to the basket."
After Hofstra sank its second free throw to tie the game at 71-71, Nate Darling inbounded the ball to Anderson who quickly turned and sped past the man guarding him. Anderson turned inside a flat ball screen from Mutts that took another defender out of the play. From there, he accelerated to the rim and put a sweet finish over the 6-foot-8 Stafford Trueheart to seal the win for Delaware.
The team erupted in celebration.
"The most enjoyable thing for me is to see the group, how they celebrated for Kevin and for our team," Ingelsby said. "Nate's running up to him, Jacob Cushing runs up and tackles him. It was the other way around five nights before. Jacob Cushing makes a three and Nate and Kevin and the rest of the teammates are so happy for Jake."
"This is a really big win," Anderson said after the game. "We've faced some adversity lately, but to come in here and beat the preseason favorite shows we can beat anybody in the league."
3. The Blue Hens' 16-Point Comeback In Boston
Less than 48 hours after the dramatic win at Hofstra, the Hens were down 58-42 midway through the second half at Northeastern, another perennial CAA contender. Delaware made the strategic shift to play smaller, with power forward Justyn Mutts playing the 5 (traditionally a center, or the biggest player on the court). With a guard-heavy lineup, the Blue Hens were able to drive the ball well and went on a 25-9 run, including one stretch of 13 straight points. Nate Darling alone scored 28 of his 34 points in the second half, including a game-tying, driving lay-up with under two minutes left and several free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
"We just wanted to stay fearless and keep attacking," Ingelsby said. "We have a group that can score the basketball."
The game wasn't won just offensively. In all of their wins, the Hens also had to clamp down on the defensive end of the floor.
"I can't say enough about what Ryan Allen did the last 10 minutes of the game guarding [Northeastern's] Jordan Roland," Ingelsby said. "He's as talented a scorer as there is in college basketball. And Ryan accepted that challenge."
While Roland (who currently has the third-highest scoring average in the country) finished the game with 27 points, he went 0-for-4 with a turnover over the last 9:21 of the game with Allen guarding him.
The Blue Hens put their three-game win streak on the line this Saturday, Feb. 1 when they host rival Drexel at the Bob Carpenter Center at 2 p.m., the start of a three-game homestand that concludes with games against Towson and James Madison next week.
Let's break down the game-winning moment from each of the big wins:
1. Jacob Cushing's Game-Winning Three Against Elon
With 16 seconds left, the Blue Hens collected a rebound off a missed free throw, down 78-76. Head Coach Martin Ingelsby chose not to take a timeout. He had faith in his guys.
"I'm not a big fan of calling a timeout at the end of the game," Ingelsby said. "I think you practice that every day, multiple times a week: time and score. And you talk your team through situations. For me, it's really trusting our group and trusting our guards."
With Kevin Anderson fouled out of the game, junior Ryan Allen took over point guard responsibilities. As Justyn Mutts set a ball screen, Allen drove to his left. Three Elon defenders collapsed on Allen at the low block, so he turned and fired a pass to senior forward Jacob Cushing. Cushing hadn't seen much playing time in previous games, but had checked in for the fouled-out Anderson.
As the Phoenix defense crowded Allen, he floated unmarked to the top of the key. After catching the ball he immediately released a shot as several Elon players crashed into his legs. No foul was called, but it didn't matter as Cushing's shot found the bottom of the net.
Three-pointer by @jacob_cushing22 puts the #BlueHens in front in the final seconds! pic.twitter.com/xzgU83Lj3A
— Delaware Men's Basketball (@DelawareMBB) January 18, 2020
"It felt like the ball was in the air for a very long time before I actually got it," Cushing said. "I just tried to fill the top of the key and saw Ry throw it back and was just ready to knock it down."
2. Kevin Anderson's Last-Second Drive
Five days later, playing Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y., on the front end of the toughest road swing on the CAA schedule, the Blue Hens faced another down-to-the-wire scenario. This time, Ingelsby did take a timeout in between Pride free throws to draw up a play for Kevin Anderson.
"There was 6.1 seconds to go, so we talked about you got at least six dribbles to get downhill," Ingelsby said. "I told him: try to get to the basket."
After Hofstra sank its second free throw to tie the game at 71-71, Nate Darling inbounded the ball to Anderson who quickly turned and sped past the man guarding him. Anderson turned inside a flat ball screen from Mutts that took another defender out of the play. From there, he accelerated to the rim and put a sweet finish over the 6-foot-8 Stafford Trueheart to seal the win for Delaware.
The team erupted in celebration.
.@KevA1_ called GAME! #BlueHens pic.twitter.com/aN43fBsymQ
— Delaware Men's Basketball (@DelawareMBB) January 24, 2020
"The most enjoyable thing for me is to see the group, how they celebrated for Kevin and for our team," Ingelsby said. "Nate's running up to him, Jacob Cushing runs up and tackles him. It was the other way around five nights before. Jacob Cushing makes a three and Nate and Kevin and the rest of the teammates are so happy for Jake."
"This is a really big win," Anderson said after the game. "We've faced some adversity lately, but to come in here and beat the preseason favorite shows we can beat anybody in the league."
3. The Blue Hens' 16-Point Comeback In Boston
Less than 48 hours after the dramatic win at Hofstra, the Hens were down 58-42 midway through the second half at Northeastern, another perennial CAA contender. Delaware made the strategic shift to play smaller, with power forward Justyn Mutts playing the 5 (traditionally a center, or the biggest player on the court). With a guard-heavy lineup, the Blue Hens were able to drive the ball well and went on a 25-9 run, including one stretch of 13 straight points. Nate Darling alone scored 28 of his 34 points in the second half, including a game-tying, driving lay-up with under two minutes left and several free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
. @natedarling14 scores inside to give him 31 on the day and knot the game at 73-73! Following a #BlueHens steal, Darling is headed to the line with 1:27 left to try to put UD in front. pic.twitter.com/04yMWExtGH
— Delaware Men's Basketball (@DelawareMBB) January 25, 2020
"We just wanted to stay fearless and keep attacking," Ingelsby said. "We have a group that can score the basketball."
The game wasn't won just offensively. In all of their wins, the Hens also had to clamp down on the defensive end of the floor.
"I can't say enough about what Ryan Allen did the last 10 minutes of the game guarding [Northeastern's] Jordan Roland," Ingelsby said. "He's as talented a scorer as there is in college basketball. And Ryan accepted that challenge."
While Roland (who currently has the third-highest scoring average in the country) finished the game with 27 points, he went 0-for-4 with a turnover over the last 9:21 of the game with Allen guarding him.
The Blue Hens put their three-game win streak on the line this Saturday, Feb. 1 when they host rival Drexel at the Bob Carpenter Center at 2 p.m., the start of a three-game homestand that concludes with games against Towson and James Madison next week.
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