City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) & 
Teddy Bailey (@TheTeddyBailey)
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NEWARK, Del. -- The Blue Hens of Delaware and Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson both held their ground for the full 40 minutes of play on Tuesday night, as a singular foul shot with under a second remaining made the difference in a 73-72 UDel win.

At First...
Delaware and Fairleigh Dickinson were tied at 20 with 8:58 remaining in the first half before the Blue Hens pulled ahead. Strong offensive rebounding sparked a 13-6 run for Delaware near halftime, helping the Hens to a 37-29 lead after 20 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Kory Holden led the way, scoring a game-high ten points in the first half. Senior forward Marvin King-Davis helped the Hens earn second chance baskets, corralling six rebounds in the first frame.

Turning Point...
The entire second half was played at a near-deadlock, with Delaware having a pair of brief six-point leads but Fairleigh Dickinson within 2-3 points for the majority of the closing 20 minutes. It looked like UDel might finally have an advantage when FDU’s leading scorer, Earl Potts Jr., fouled out with 3:54 left, but the Knights held solid. After Stephan Jiggetts hit two foul shots to tie the game at 72 with nine seconds left, Delaware was able to find Cazmon Hayes in the corner for a 3-pointer, where he was fouled with 0.9 seconds left. Hayes missed the first and second foul shots, but drilled the third--and Delaware escaped with the win.

Standout Stars...
Holden finished with 21 points for the Blue Hens, six away from his career-high. The sophomore guard shot 8-of-16 from the floor and converted on five 3-pointers to lead the Hens. Marvin King-Davis, despite leaving briefly for an injury, finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds as the senior forward ended in double-double figures.

The Blue Hens also benefitted from a solid game by redshirt junior forward Maurice Jeffers, who had 11 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes of action.

Fairleigh Dickinson, which starts four sophomores, was led by two such classmates. Potts, a 6-6 wing, came within one rebound of his second double-double of the season, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, before fouling out. Stephan Jiggets, a 6-1 guard, slashed his way through the UDel defense for 22 points of his own.

Noteworthy Numbers...
Delaware dominated Fairleigh Dickinson on the boards, 48-33.

Up Next...
Delaware (2-1) @ Temple (1-3) (Nov. 29, 5 PM)
Fairleigh Dickinson (1-4) vs. Saint Peter’s (Nov. 28, 2 PM)