DOVER (December 4, 2008) ? Frisco Sandidge scored 20 points, while Marcus Neal notched a career-high 18 points to guide the Delaware State Men's Basketball Team (2-9, 1-0 MEAC) to a 59-48 victory over the UMES Hawks (0-5, 0-1 MEAC) at Memorial Hall on Thursday, Dec. 4.
The win comes in the team's first home game in nearly a month, following a 17-day, eight-game road trip in which the Hornets faced some of the toughest competition in the nation.
"It's been a journey for us," said Head Coach Greg Jackson. "We were in a lot of tough places and in a lot of tough situations. To come home and play on your own home floor in front of your own home crowd is always a blessing. It is our comfort zone. The kids came out and played well for most of the ballgame. I think the crowd played a part in tonight's victory. We got a little more aggressive as the game went on. UMES has got a good basketball team. They are well coached and I expect them to be in the middle of the pack in the MEAC this year."
The Hornets finished the game shooting 47.7 percent (21-of-44) from field, while holding UMES to 32.0 percent (16-of-50) from the floor. DSU held a 38-30 edge in the rebound category, scoring 22 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds. Neither team found much success from behind the 3-point line as DSU shot 25.0 percent (5-of-20) and UMES converted just 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from "downtown".
Sandidge, who led all scorers with 20 points, shot 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) from the field and was 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line. The 20-point total was the second highest of Sandidge's career, who tallied 21 during DSU's 69-65 loss to Longwood (11/29). The 6-foot-6 forward also grabbed eight boards and blocked two shots. Neal, who was deadly from 3-point land in the first half, registered his career-best point total on 5-of-10 (50.0 percent) shooting, including 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point arc. Neal also grabbed eight rebounds, tying his career-high in boards (two other times this season). Arturo Dubois chipped in 11 points on 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) shooting, registering eight rebounds and blocking a game-high three shots.
The first half opened up with five lead changes until a 3-pointer by Neal with 9:38 on the clock gave DSU a 14-13 lead. The basket sparked a 14-8 run by the Hornets, giving DSU a 25-19 lead after 20 minutes of action. The trey by Neal was one of three during the first half of action, giving the Trenton, N.J., native nine points.
The Hornets entered halftime with a six-point advantage, shooting 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from the floor. Leading the way for DSU was Sandidge, who scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. UMES converted 7-of-21 (30.4 percent), led by Tyler Hynes and Marc Davis, who each had four points.
DSU began the second half with a 7-1 run to open up a 12 point lead. The run was capped off by a two-point jumper by Dubois with 16:34 left in the game. UMES chipped away at Delaware State's lead cutting it to three, 44-41, following a pair of free throws by Davis with 4:32 left on the clock. DSU responded with a 3-pointer by Trevor Welcher at the 4:07 mark which led to seven-straight points for the Hornets, giving DSU a 14-point lead with 1:24 left in the game. With a double-digit lead and under 1:30 play, DSU held on for the 59-48 victory.
With the win, DSU snapped a nine-game losing skid and improved to 1-0 in conference play for the eighth-straight season. The loss was UMES' fifth-straight and moved the Hawks to the bottom of the MEAC standings.
The Hornets will travel to Richmond, Va., to take on the Richmond Spiders on Saturday, December 6. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Hawks will next take on NJIT in Princess Anne, Md., on Saturday, December 6. Game time is 2 p.m.
