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Delaware unable to secure first win in home opener vs. ARMY

12/03/2014, 6:15pm EST

By Teddy Bailey

Teddy Bailey (@TheTeddyBailey)
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Everything was set up for a long-awaited home opener for the Delaware Blue Hens. The student section was relatively filled, the pep band was back in business and the Hens’ white uniforms could finally be worn.

After five games on the road to open the season, including three in the state of California, a rejuvenated Delaware team came up just short against a talented Army bunch in what could have been a perfect homecoming.

Kyle Wilson scored a game-high 31 points and was able to find his stroke again late to lead Army over Delaware 73-69 on Wednesday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Wilson scored the final 12 points for Army (6-1) down the stretch, including a 3-pointer that gave the Knights a four-point lead with under two minutes to play.

“He’s the type of player that just needs an inch,” Delaware head coach Monté Ross said. “And he got an inch on that last one.”

Delaware (0-6) led the Black Knights 62-61 after a Devonne Pinkard free throw with 2:30 to play. Wilson, who struck gold on five first-half 3-pointers, finally found his perimeter shot with just under two minutes remaining to give Army a 66-62 lead. Ross was given a technical foul after voicing his displeasure with two no-calls on back-to-back Blue Hen possessions. The Knights converted both free throws and were able to escape out of Newark, De. with a win.

“When that ball bounces off the rim, they find him, no matter where he is,” sophomore guardCazmon Hayes said. “He must have a tracking device on him or something, man.”

Delaware’s freshman guards led the charge against an experienced Army team. While Hayes led the team with 14 points, freshmen Kory Holden (13 points) and Chivarsky Corbett (11 points) each finished in double-digits.

“I thought it was a tremendous effort from our guys and I’m really proud of them.” Ross said. “There are a lot of positives that can be taken from this game. It shows that we’re getting better. Our thing right now is that we have to keep improving every practice session and every game. I thought we improved tonight.”

The Blue Hens quickly erased a seven-point deficit to open the second half and clawed their way to a 51-51 draw with 8:34 to play. Defensive adjustments to Army’s perimeter offense were key to the resurgence. A back-and-forth second half, courtesy of steady free-throw shooting, aided Delaware down the stretch. Hayes, who guarded Wilson the entire game, turned his pressure up a notch in the second half – the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year was held to zero field goals before his 3-pointer.

“Coach just told me to stick on him,” Hayes said. “I took that as a challenge. He only had four points up until the end.”

“They do a good job at finding them at the end of games.” said Ross. “I thought Cazmon did a great job on him for the most part. He’s an older guy that knows how to make a big shot, and he hit a big shot.”

Delaware was off and running offensively to start their home opener, shooting 4-6 from the floor to open with a 9-8 lead five minutes in. It was clear that playing in their home opener added extra energy for the Hens.

“You’d like to think that it doesn’t matter, but it matters,” Ross said about playing at home. “I think they’re tired of making a shot and have everyone boo them. They were happy to make a shot and have people cheer them.

“Our first five games were on the road in tough environments against tough teams,” Corbett said. “It got us ready to come out and play today. We executed our plays. “Being home, that helps a lot. We came in and we wanted to get this win. Early on, feeling that energy was very important.”

Holden and Corbett led the charge midway through the opening frame and helped give the Blue Hens an 18-11 lead with 8:05 to play.

Army had other thoughts in mind, however. Two Wilson triples sparked an 8-0 Black Knight run to take the lead with six minutes left. Army scored on its final seven possessions to carry a seven-point cushion at halftime – which was quickly erased after halftime.

“Sometimes with a young group there’s a panic that sets in when the other team goes on a run, but our guys didn’t do that.” Ross said. “That’s what I’m really, really happy about and proud of. They are a strong minded group and mentally tough. If you’re mentally tough, we’ll get on the right side of the column soon.”

It’ll be a quick turnaround for Delaware, who hosts in-state rival Delaware State on Sunday at home. The Hornets are coming off an upset win in Wake Forest – but the Hens don’t need any more motivation.

“Right now, we don’t need anything to get our attention.” said Ross. “We’re 0-6, trying to get a win. We’re going to fight and claw against anyone that comes in here.”