The University of Delaware men’s basketball team is now 3-0 on the season, as the Hens defeated the Southern Illinois Salukis 56-54 in the Sunshine Slam tournament at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, FL.
The leading scorer of the game for the Blue Hens was redshirt junior guard Nate Darling who scored 18 points.
Junior guard Ryan Allen also scored in double digits for the Hens with 17 points in the win.
Redshirt sophomore forward Justyn Mutts was a rebounding machine in the win with 12 rebounds in the game.
Delaware had the advantage in multiple categories in the game which included points off of turnovers (12-9), second-chance points 10-6), fast-break points (14-5) and steals (8-4).
Hens Lead By 10 At Halftime
The leading scorer for the Blue Hens in the first half was Nate Darling who scored 12 points. As a team, Delaware shot 41.94 % (13-31) in the first half and they also shot 57.14 % ( 4-7) at the free-throw line.
Southern Illinois shot 38.46 % (10-26) in the first half and the team also shot 50% (1-2) at the free-throw line.
The first half started with the Hens going a 9-4 run which was led by Darling who scored seven of the nine points.
Around the 9:41 minute mark, the Hens would go on a 14-2 run which was led by freshman guard Johnny McCoy who scored seven of the 14 points. The run would give the Hens a 29-17 lead with 4:25 left in the first half.
The Hens would end the half with Darling hitting a three-point shot which had his team going into the half with a 34-24 lead.
First Half Stats
Blue Hens were shooting 41.94 % (13-31) in the first half and Southern Illinois was shooting 38.46 % (10-26).
Delaware shot 57.14 % ( 4-7) at the free-throw line and the Salukis shot 50% (1-2).
Southern Illinois Rallies In The Second Half But Hens Hang On To Win
The leading scorer for the Blue Hens in the second half was Ryan Allen who scored eight points. As a team, Delaware shot 34.78 % (8-23) in the second half and they also shot 57.14 % ( 4-7) at the free-throw line.
Southern Illinois improved its shooting in the second half as the team shot 41.67 % (10-24) and they also shot 80.00 % (8-10) from the free-throw line.
At the 11:22 minute mark in the game, the Salukis would turn the tide in their favor as the team went on a 18-5 run to take a 53-50 lead with 1:22 left in the half.
Delaware would answer back with a 6-1 run of their own which helped them climb back in the lead and take the win 56-54.
The Hens take on UTSA on November 10th at 3:00 PM ET in the Sunshine Slam tournament at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, FL.
Stats:
FG%: UD38.9 %% & SI 40.0 %
3P%: UD25.0 %& SI 29.4 %
FT%: UD 57.1 %&SI 75.0 %
Rebs: UD 32&SI 36
Ast: UD 11&SI 12
Stl: UD 8&SI 4
TO: UD 11&SI 13
Blks: UD 1 &SI1
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