Late Comeback by Men’s Basketball Falls Short Against James Madison

Wednesday, November 11

Newark, Del.

7 PM

University of Delaware

1-2,0-0CUSA

James Madison

1-2,0-0Sun Belt

Team	1	2	F
James Madison	35	36	71
Delaware	26	35	61

Photo by: Mikey Reeves

11/11/2026 9:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware men's basketball team nearly erased a 15-point deficit Wednesday night against James Madison, pulling the game within three late in the second half, however the Dukes held firm to prevail 71-61. The Fightin' Blue Hens dip to 1-2 overall, while JMU moves to 1-2.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS

In his first-career start, Nick Petronio notched a team-high and career-best 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep. He added two assists, two blocks, and a steal to his line.
Kachi Nzeh notched his third career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Chuck Bailey III finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
DeShawn Harris-Smith neared a triple-double for the second time this season with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. He also tied his career mark of three steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Delaware scored the first four points of the game before the Dukes registered a point with a goaltending call. The goaltending sparked a 6-0 run for the visitors before Petronio drained a triple to go ahead 9-8 before the media break at 15:04. After a pair at the stripe for UD, James Madison ripped off a 9-0 run over 3:11 to pull ahead 17-11 with 10:55 on the clock. JMU used a 13-5 margin toward the end of the opening frame to build a 35-26 lead at the break.
UD chipped into the deficit, claiming six of the first seven points scored in the second frame, however the Dukes answered with a 10-0 run over 1:37 to force a Blue Hens' timeout with JMU up 47-32 at the 15:21 mark. The Blue & Gold clawed back again, trimming the margin to 50-40 at the under-12 media break. The visitors would build the lead up to 11 points on two different occasions, but persistence from UD was evident with the Hens getting it back to a 63-57 difference at the final media break with 3:49 left. On the first possession out of the break, Petronio drained a triple to make it a one-possession game at 63-60, but wouldn't pull any closer.

UP NEXT
Delaware remains home for a Sunday afternoon game as the Colgate Raiders come to the Bob Carpenter Center with a 1 p.m. start.

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