Delaware was already out one starter, with L.J. Owens missing a run of 80 straight college starts with a wrist injury.
The Blue Hens then learned during pregame introductions that Jyare Davis, whose knee had bothered him in warmups, would not be able to play.
That was hardly a favorable outlook considering Delaware hasn’t gotten much production from its bench this basketball season.
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The Blue Hens did Saturday, including freshman Cavan Reilly coolly draining two final free throws with six seconds left to finish an 81-78 Colonial Athletic Association basketball win at the Carpenter Center.
The Huskies missed a desperation 3-pointer as time expired.
“I thought the role players who maybe hadn’t played as many minutes really stepped up and gave us a big boost,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said.
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Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 21 points, Gianmarco Arletti supplied a season-high 18, Christian Ray’s 15 were accompanied by a team-high 8 rebounds and Reilly scored 14. Delaware also got a valuable eight minutes from guard Logan Curtis, who hasn’t played much.
“I just had to calm myself down,” Reilly said of his two late foul shots. “I knew there was six seconds left. They were big shots but I wasn’t nervous.”
Nelson had knocked down two foul shots just before that to put the Hens up 79-76.
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“He’s been ready. Cavan’s a hooper,” Arletti said of his freshman teammate. “Soon as he got here in the summer, we knew that he was gonna be important for us. Great shooter, great all-around player.”
Delaware (12-11 overall, 4-6 CAA) had lost four of its previous five, including a 67-66 setback at Hampton Thursday night in which the Blue Hens couldn’t hold a 12-point second-half lead.
Ebby Asamoah also returned to the UD lineup after missing two games with an ankle injury.
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“It was a much-needed win,” Arletti said.
Northeastern (8-13, 4-6) had beaten Delaware in Boston 59-58 on Jan. 16 when the Blue Hens were outrebounded 44-19 but led by four with less than 20 second left.
Delaware closed that gap significantly Saturday, with the Huskies having a 39-33 edge on the boards. Delaware also made half of its 3-point shots (7 of 14) on a 48-percent shooting day.
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Down by as many as nine in the second half Northeastern rallied to tie it 68-68 with 4:43 left keyed by Coleman Stucke, who had 34 points with six 3-pointers.
“We weathered some tough shots and were able to execute when we needed to,” said Ingelsby, whose team used a 14-0 run to take a 42-36 halftime lead.
” . . . Proud of our group for executing in game situations. That’s been a little bit of our Achilles’ heel lately. Keeps me up at night as a former pint guard and a coach. We gotta be better. It’s so fragile.”
Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
