Delaware had won every basketball game this season in which it had given up less than 70 points. The Blue Hens had lost each time their opponent surpassed 70.
There were still nearly 11 minutes left when Ohio University zoomed past that total Wednesday night at the Carpenter Center, where Delaware’s troubles had begun much earlier.
The Hens never really could cope with the Bobcats, who used an early 18-point run to build a cushion Delaware didn’t threaten in a 95-76 loss.
It was hardly the way Delaware (8-5) hoped to close the nonconference portion of its schedule. The Colonial Athletic Association schedule begins next Thursday night, Dec. 29., at home against Hofstra.
Delaware, which had won five straight, was dominated by Ohio (7-5), which took Michigan to overtime in one of its losses.
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It was Delaware’s third game in six days after wins at Princeton Friday and Rider Monday, which may have taken a toll, coach Martin Ingelsby suggested.
“We were a little tired out there tonight, kinda bad scheduling as I step back and look at it,” he said. “They’re a really, really good team. They put so much pressure on us from the get-go and we dug ourselves a hole and could never get out of it.”
Ohio shot 52.4 percent from the floor (33-for-63), including 9 of 21 on 3-pointers, and dominated the boards with a 43-29 rebound advantage.
The teams emptied their benches with 2:25 left and Ohio up 93-71. Delaware trailed by double digits the last 22 ½ minutes, getting no closer than 78-67 with 7:17 left.
“They got going early,” Delaware guard Ebby Asamoah said. “They’re really aggressive on the glass. We gave them a couple opportunities. Also in transition they had a couple opportunities there that really didn’t help us. We started off a little slow on offense. We just gotta move on to the next one and get ready for Hofstra.”
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Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 20 to lead Delaware, which shot 42.3 percent (27-for-64) but did make a season-high 10 3-pointers.
Joining him in double figures were Asamoah (17 points), Jyare Davis (13) and Christian Ray (10). Ray’s seven rebounds led Delaware and Davis had seven assists.
“I didn’t think we were moving as well on the offensive end,” Ingelsby said. “We were kind of settling for some tough shots. I think that impacted how we were digging in on the defensive end.”
Typically, Delaware got very little from its bench (eight points) and was overmatched around the basket. Ohio scored 46 points in the paint and 17 on second chances.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound A.J. Brown scored a game-high 23 points for the Bobcats.
“They played really well and some nights you’re gonna play against a team like that,” Ingelsby said, “where we don’t have our best effort and they play really well. I think we gotta be able to learn from this and get away from it for a little bit, keep it in perspective, and get back to practice.”
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