WASHINGTON, D.C. – Preseason hype branded the Blue Hens as championship material. Their late-season struggles made such build-up appear dubious.
But postseason college basketball affords fabulous second chances, and Delaware continued to capitalize on that opportunity Monday night.
Now the Hens are one win away from the NCA A Tournament.
Delaware took charge early and foiled Towson’s spirited second-half comeback to stun the top-seeded Tigers 69-56 in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament semifinals at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
BOX SCORE: Delaware 69, Towson 56
Delaware reached just its second CAA title game in 21 seasons in the league, having beaten William & Mary in the 2014 final.
Towson (25-8), which earned a share of its first CAA regular-season title since joining the league with Delaware in 2001-02, had won eight in a row and 11 of its last 12, including two over Delaware. It was the first CAA title-game appearance for Towson, which last reached the NCAA Tournament as Big South champ in 1994, and will now settle for a National Invitation Tournament berth.
“We got beat by a good team that played better than us,” Towson coach Pat Skerry said.
Delaware (21-12) is trying to become the first No. 5 seed to win a title in the tournament’s 39-year history.
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No. 2-seed UNC-Wilmington and No. 6 Charleston, which upset third-seeded Hofstra Sunday, play in Monday’s second semifinal.
The title game is Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m., on the CBS Sports Network.
Entering the game, Delaware was 0-6 all-time against CAA tourney top seeds. Delaware, which was No. 1 in the preseason CAA media/coaches poll, had bounced Drexel 66-56 in Sunday’s quarterfinals.
“Especially on the defensive end, we needed to be a tougher basketball team,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said. “And two nights, we kept teams in the 50s on the defensive end. They had great belief in each other.
“And on the offensive end we were able to get into a good flow with multiple weapons. Sharing the basketball, not turning it over, being able to execute at key times.”
Fifth-year senior guard Kevin Anderson led a balanced Delaware scoring effort with 17 points, keyed by four 3-point baskets.
“He made some timely shots,” Ingelsby said. “When he gets his feet set he’s one of the best shooters in the league.”
It was the seventh semifinal appearance for the Blue Hens in their 21 CAA seasons, the others in 2002, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2020. Anderson was on 2019 and 2020 teams that lost in the semifinals to Hofstra.
“Just to make it to the championship, I’m just happy, but the job’s not done,” Anderson said
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CAA Rookie of the Year Jyare Davis sparked Delaware to its early lead, which was 16 midway through the first half and eight at halftime, and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
But Davis also was in foul trouble and Dylan Painter supplied a crucial 12 points and Andrew Carr led Delaware with 11 rebounds. Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 11 points.
Towson is the CAA’s top rebounding team but the teams were even in that category at 37-37.
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Delaware shot 45 percent overall (22-for-49) and made 6 of 19 3-pointers.
Charles Thompson’s 13 points led Towson. Towson shot just 31 percent from the field and made only 4 of 23 3-pointers.
Delaware lost both regular-season games to Towson, falling first at home 69-62 on Jan. 24. Three nights later at Towson, Delaware led by 11 with 18:42 left when the game was suspended due to a slippery floor at SECU Arena. Towson outscored Delaware 40-19 for a 69-57 win when the game was completed Feb. 28 to complete the regular season. It was the Hens’ third straight loss.
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An early 8-0 run moved the Hens ahead 15-8 but that was just a hint of what was to come. They later scored 11 unanswered points and built a 32-16 lead with 4:59 left.
But Towson, which made just five shots from the field over the first 15 minutes, made three in the final five minutes and halved the Hens’ lead to 35-27 going into halftime.
The Tigers then pulled within two three times to start the second half, the last when Polytech High grad Juwan Gray scored with 14:11 left to make it 41-39.
But Delaware got some timely stops, and back-to-back 3-pointers by Anderson and Ebby Asamoah ignited an 11-2 run that, after another Anderson 3-pointer, made it 59-46 with 5:29 to go.
“We’re playing tough,” Anderson said of the difference between now and the Hens’ recent swoon. “We’re showing real toughness right now. We’re not letting up and we’re getting leads and we’re not just settling down and slowing up. We’re keeping our foot on their necks.”
Delaware earned its eighth league title-game appearance, having won North Atlantic Conference championships in 1992 and 1993, America East in 1998 and 1999 and the CAA 2014. Delaware also lost America East finals in 1999 and 2000.
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