City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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NEWARK, Del--After a cold start, the defense of the Delaware Blue Hens (3-2) shined as they blew out the Bradley Braves (1-7), 70-47, led by three different double-digit performances from their backcourt.

At First...
The Hens struggled to shoot the ball early on--something that hasn’t really been an issue so far this season--missing their first four three-pointers. Bradley capitalized by making three of their first four long-range attempts to take an early 11-8 lead. Those shots would be the only field goals Bradley would have until the final thirty seconds, going on a twelve minute drought from the field.

The first Delaware three-point make finally came from Anthony Mosley with 8:35 to play, as part of a 19-2 run that propelled the Blue Hens to a 31-19 halftime lead over the Braves.

Turning Point…
Delaware’s dominance didn’t stop after the first half buzzer; the Hens scored four quick points to start the second half, before Bradley responded and cut the lead to as few as thirteen.

Suddenly, however, an emphatic block by Barnett Harris and a Kory Holden drive put the Hens up by eighteen with 12:30 to go and lit up the crowd at the Carpenter Center. The lead would grow to twenty on the following possession, and from there the final result was never in doubt.

Shining Stars…
In only his third start as a Blue Hen, his first this season filling in for the injured Chivarsky Corbett, sophomore guard Anthony Mosley shined with an impressive all-around performance. He dropped fifteen points while snatching four rebounds. Cazmon Hayes, however, led the Hens with seventeen points on 3-of-11 three-point shooting.

The Braves’ dismal offensive display was paced by sophomore Donte Thomas, who had ten points.

Noteworthy Numbers…
As was made clear by the final score, Delaware’s defense played by far its best game yet, holding the Braves to 21-percent shooting from the field, while giving up 6-of-28 three-point shooting. The Hens out-rebounded Bradley 41-38, outscored them by a dominant 34-18 in the paint, and scored nineteen points off of fourteen forced turnovers.

Three-point shooting, which has been consistent for UD over the last several games, was a point of struggle for the majority of the game. Until the middle of the second half, the Hens only had one three-pointer, from Mosley. Their final three-point mark ended up at 6-of-21 after a hot stretch in the second half.

Up Next…
Delaware (3-2) vs. South Florida (12/3, 7:00 p.m.)
Bradley (1-7) vs. North Dakota (12/5, 7:00 p.m.)