By Max Nagel, News Correspondent
Junior guard Joel Smith’s 24 points weren’t enough to save the Huskies’ last regular season game, an 82-72 loss to the University of Delaware Blue Hens Saturday.
Delaware took a quick 9-1 lead after three and half minutes with points by four different scorers.
“We got off to a really slow start and didn’t execute our offense well. We were out of rhythm.” head coach Bill Coen said. “I think we had a nice defensive spurt in the second half, but had too many fouls in the game and there was sloppy execution on offense.”
The Huskies finished the season 9-9 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play and 13-16 overall. They will enter the CAA tournament ranked No. 7 and will take on No. 10 William and Mary Friday at 6 p.m. in Richmond, Va.
The Huskies battled the Blue Hens to keep the game close. A jump shot by freshman forward/guard Quincy Ford locked the game at 17 with 9:39 left in the half .
After a three-pointer by junior forward Jonathan Lee, the Blue Hens tied the game at 20 with a three-pointer by sophomore guard Devon Saddler. Delaware proceeded to go on a 20-13 run to grab a 42-33 lead before the the first half buzzer.
In the second half, Delaware continued to use their first early momentum, quickly grabbing a double digit lead that the Huskies only twice broke. With 6:46 left to play, Delaware lead by 18 points, – their largest lead of of the game – on another Saddler three-pointer.
Huskies struggled to sink shots, finishing the game 26-67 (38.8 percent) from the field and 5-20 (25 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Blue Hens shot over 50 percent for 26-48 (54.2 percent) from the field and made six of 19 three-point attempts.
“We played at their home and Delaware is good basketball team,” Coen said. “They made their shots today.”
Lee and Ford scored in the double digits with 16 and 11 points respectively. Smith’s 24 points brought his season total to 374, behind Lee’s 424. Ford finished with 322, third on the team.
Sophomore forward Jamelle Hagins helped lead the Blue Hens to their eighth straight victory with his fourteenth season double-double, racking up 13 rebounds and 13 points. Saddler finished the game with 21 points for the Hens.
