Blue Hens Fall to Hofstra, 78-62, in Home Finale

Saturday, February 22

Newark, DE

4:00 PM

University of Delaware

20-9,10-6CAA

Hofstra

22-7,13-3CAA

Hofstra

Delaware

Photo by: Mark Campbell

2/22/2020 7:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. – Hofstra guards Desure Buie and Eli Pemberton took control in the second half as the league-leading Pride pulled away for a 78-62 win to spoil the Blue Hens' Senior Day Saturday at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Buie scored 27 points and handed out nine assists while Pemberton added 25 points and nine rebounds as Hofstra won its eighth consecutive game. Delaware, which had defeated the Pride by two points in Hempstead last month, had its four-game home winning streak snapped.

Nate Darling again paced the Blue Hens with 25 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Justyn Mutts added his ninth double-double with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Collin Goss contributed nine points in his final home game.

Spurred on by an electric sold out crowd, Delaware scored the first eight points of the game in the opening three minutes. The Blue Hens went back up six at 20-14 midway through the half, but Hofstra battled back to take a 32-31 lead into the break.

Delaware took a 43-40 advantage following a three-point play by Goss at the 14:21 mark, but the Pride exploded with a 16-2 spurt to go in front by double digits at 56-45 with 9:31 to play. Two Darling free throws pulled the Blue Hens within 60-51 three minutes later, but Hofstra's Tareq Coburn answered with a three-pointer and the Pride led by double figures the rest of the way.

Martin Ingelsby
"Hofstra is very good, their guards have won a lot of games and are an experienced group. In the second half we didn't have an answer on the defensive end. We went up 43-40 but then Buie took over the game. We had to score more efficiently to beat a team like that; I thought we got some good looks but they just didn't go down. We had an unbelievable crowd and got off to a great start, but their experience won out."

Nate Darling
"They're really good, and it's tough to sweep the best team in the league. It is what it is, and we'll get another shot at them. They hit tough shots, and if we had kept them off the offensive glass I think it's a different outcome. They play a tough matchup zone, and the ball wasn't falling for our guards."