Painter Records A Double-Double In 80-76 Win Vs James Madison

The University of Delaware men’s basketball team earned their first win of the new year on Thursday as the team defeated their CAA rivals, the James Madison University Dukes 80-76 at the JMU Convocation Center.

The leading scorer of the game for the Blue Hens was redshirt junior Dylan Painter who scored 23 points. Painter also recorded a double-double on the night as he had 10 rebounds with his 23 points.

Three other Blue Hen players scored in double digits which were junior guard Kevin Anderson (16), redshirt junior guard Nate Darling (15) and redshirt sophomore forward Justyn Mutts (10).

Delaware had the advantage in multiple categories in this game which included points in the paint (38-28), second-chance points (10-9), fast-break points (18-10), bench points (24-12), rebounds (35-34), assists (14-11) and steals (8-5).

The Blue Hens also bested James Madison in shooting percentage by shooting 45.8 %(27-59) and the Dukes shot 42.9 % (24-56). Delaware also had the advantage at the three-point line by shooting 40.0 % (6-15) and James Madison shot 31.6 % (6-19).

Delaware took advantage of the opportunity to get free points as the team shot  80.0 % (20-25) at the free-throw line. The Dukes shot 75.9 % (22-29) at the free-throw line in the game.

Related: Five Blue Hens Score In Double Digits In 82-68 Win Vs UNCW

Blue Hens Trail By Two At The End Of The Half

The leading scorer for Delaware in the first half was Nate Darling as he scored 10 points. As a team, the Blue Hens saw the hoop pretty good in the first half as they shot 51.7% (15-29). The Hens also shot 66.7% (6-9) at the free-throw line in the first half.

James Madison saw the basket really well in the first half as well, as the team shot 53.3% (16-30). The Dukes also shot 77.8% (7-9) at the free-throw line in the first half.

Delaware was outrebounded 17-15 by James Madison.

The game started with the Dukes jumping out to a quick 10-4 lead which about a minute later it would grow to a 14-6 lead with 13:49 left in the first half.

In the early minutes of the half, it looked bad for Delaware as the team would trail as many as 10 points.

At the 9:05 minute mark, the Dukes would be leading 23-13 over the Hens but Delaware would finally find their groove to make this game more competitive.

The Blue Hens went on a 17-7 run to tie the game at 30 with 4:25 remaining in the half. Nate Darling, Dylan Painter, and Justyn Mutts were the leaders on the run as each scored four points.

James Madison would answer back by outscoring Delaware 12-6 for the rest of the first half which gave the team a 42-36 lead.

First Half Stats

Delaware shot 51.7% (15-29) in the first half and James Madison shot 53.3% (16-30).

The Blue Hens shot 66.7% (6-9) at the free-throw line in the first half and the Dukes shot 77.8% (7-9).

Nate Darling was the leading scorer for the Blue Hens in the first half as he scored 10 points.

Darius Banks was the leading scorer for James Madison in the first half as he scored 11 points.

Blue Hens Battle With The Dukes To The Very End To Pull Out Win

The leading scorer for Delaware in the second half was Dylan Painter who scored 17 points. As a team, the Hens regressed in their shooting percentage in the second half as they shot 40.0% (12-30). The Blue Hens would shoot 87.5% (14-16) at the free-throw line in the second half.

The battle tightened in the second half which made good shots hard to find as James Madison found out as they shot 30.8% (8-26). The Dukes also shot 75.0% (15-20) at the free-throw line in the second half.

Delaware outrebounded James Madison 20-17 in the second half.

The Blue Hens came out of the gate early in the second half by going on a 14-3 run which gave them a 54-45 lead with 15:58 left in the game. Painter was the leading man on the run as he scored five of the 14 points.

At 13:34 minute mark, The Dukes would go on a 9-0 run which would tie the game at 61 with 9:12 left in the game.

Delaware would answer back with a 6-0 run of their own which gave the team a 67-61 lead with 7:07 left in the game. Painter led that run by scoring four of the six points.

James Madison would follow Delaware’s run with a 8-0 run of their own which gave them a 69-67 lead with 5:07 left in the half.

In the next couple of minutes, this was a fight of the foul shots as the two teams would trade buckets and the lead.

Delaware would stick the dagger in the Dukes when Kevin Anderson hit a clutch three with 38 seconds left to give his team a 75-73 lead.

The Blue Hens would then hit five foul shots to get the hard-earned 80-76 win over James Madison.

Delaware stays on the road to take on Towson on January 11th at 2 PM ET.

Stats:

FG%: UD45.8 %& JMU42.9 %
3P%: UD40.0 %%& JMU31.6 %
FT%: UD80.0 %&JMU75.9 %
Rebs: UD 35&JMU34
Ast: UD14&JMU11
Stl: UD8&JMU5
TO: UD 16&JMU15
Blks: UD 2 &JMU6