A Blue Hens fan watched a Charleston basketball player attack the rim to put back a teammate’s miss Thursday night at the Carpenter Center.
The Cougars’ aggressive, uptempo style helped them carve out a lead that grew to as many as 20 points in the second half of their Colonial Athletic Association showdown with Delaware.
“You have to want it more than they do Delaware!” the spectator yelled, apparently sensing that was not the case.
BOX SCORE: Charleston 99, Delaware 96
Charleston’s pace and purpose did seem difficult for the Blue Hens to match, yet they kept at it because Delaware has some offensive firepower of its own.
Sure enough, as unlikely as it seemed, UD senior guard Ryan Allen unleashed a potential game-tying 3-pointer as the clock ticked down.
Allen’s try was slightly of the mark, and Charleston, which had seen a 12-point lead with 1:19 left whittled to one, prevailed 99-96.
“For me to miss like that, that kinda hurts. Just half an inch too far,” Allen said on a night his game-high 28 points weren’t quite enough.
The 195 points were the most scored by both teams in regulation in a game involving Delaware in the Carpenter Center’s 30-year history.
CAA STANDINGS: Blue Hens still fourth
But despite the late rally, that was not a recipe for success for the Blue Hens, who had a three-game win streak snapped while falling to 19-10 overall and 10-6 in CAA games.
“We just gotta play better defense,” Allen said. “Giving up 99 points, you’re not gonna win a lot of games like that.”
Charleston finished the night shooting 57.6 percent from the field (34-for-59) and was 11-for-20 on 3-pointers and 20-for-25 at the foul line. Reyne Smith’s team-high 22 points were fueled by six 3-pointers.
The Cougars also had 17 second-chance points while outrebounding Delaware 34-23 and getting 14 offensive rebounds.
“I give our guys a lot of credit for being fearless and staying together and battling back,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said. “Ryan had a great look but 99 points is not good at all.
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“The physicality, the toughness, whatever it is, we did not have that tonight and it’s gotta be something we gotta improve. We’d been doing a pretty good job guarding.”
Delaware had allowed less than 70 points in its last five CAA wins.
Blue Hens guard Jameer Nelson Jr. tied a school record by making eight steals, equaling the number Taurence Chisholm had in a 1985 game against Bucknell. That frequently fed Delaware’s offensive chances. Nelson had 23 points and Jyare Davis scored 20.
But Delaware surely left the arena knowing it will have to be better in the upcoming CAA Tournament to have a chance to win.
The Hens play their home finale Saturday at 4 p.m. against first-place UNC-Wilmington (20-8, 14-3), which won at Drexel Thursday, then close the regular season Monday at Towson to complete the game suspended due to a slippery floor Jan. 27.
ADDING ON: North Carolina A & T continues CAA expansion
Charleston (16-12, 8-8), playing the second of four road games in seven days, is in its first year under coach Pat Kelsey, who came from Winthrop after Earl Grant’s move to Boston College. The Cougars look to be a future handful for CAA foes. Delaware had downed Charleston 67-66 on the road Dec. 31.
Charleston had 24 turnovers, only six more than Delaware, which aided Delaware’s late rally as it scored on 11 straight and 17 of 18 possessions before Allen’s miss. But the Hens couldn’t match the Cougars’ eager and energetic approach early and it cost them.
“They don’t let you off the hook,” Nelson said. “They’re going fast and they got guys crashing in for offensive rebounds. So it’s tough sometimes. They got good chemistry with their bigs, they know how to pass the ball down low. They’re tough to guard. They’re a great team.”
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