PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (March 5, 2009) ? Senior Donald Johnson poured in a career-high 31 points to lead the Delaware State Hornets (8-23, 6-10 MEAC) to a 74-60 win over the UMES Hawks (7-22, 3-13 MEAC) in the final regular season game of the season. The win snapped a four-game losing skid and gave DSU its 11th-straight victory over the Hawks.
“I thought we came in with a really great game plan,” said Jackson. “I thought our kids executed our philosophy on both ends of the floor. We were able to change up our defense and I thought that caught them (UMES) off balance for most of the game. And, we got into transition. Donald Johnson shot the ball well for us. Heading into the conference tournament, we need to continue what we've been doing. We need to cut down on turnovers and possess the ball. The way we have been playing all year long, we can't just show up to the tournament and expect to win it.”
Johnson's 31 points were the most registered by a Hornet since Roy Bright scored 30 points versus St. Paul's on Nov. 10, 2007. The Prince George, Va., native shot 8-of-13 from the floor (6-of-9 from 3-point land) and converted 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Johnson also tied his career-best in steals with three. Also scoring in double-figures was junior Fred Bouie who broke the 10-point barrier for the third-straight game. The Orlando, Fla., native registered 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 from beyond the arc). Marcus Neal added 10 points and grabbed four rebounds, shooting 4-of-9 from the field. Leading the Hornets in rebounding was sophomore Trevor Welcher, who tallied a career-high seven rebounds on the night. Welcher has grabbed 12 boards in the last two games. The Augusta, Ga., product scored seven points and recorded three steals.
On the night, DSU shot 51.0 percent (25-of-49) from the floor and 55.0 percent (11-of-20) from “downtown, The Hornets were out-rebounded in the contest, 37-26. The Hornets held UMES to 39.1 percent shooting in the contest, forcing 13 turnovers which resulted in 19 points.
The Hawks were led by Neal Pitt, who recorded 22 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 3:22 left in the game. Pitt shot 9-of-10 from the floor and was 3-of-7 from the free-throw line. Gary Lee rounded out the Hawks leading scorers, tallying 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
The win marks the 140th-career win at DSU for Coach Jackson and moved his all-time record versus UMES to 15-2.
Delaware State finishes the regular season with a 6-10 record in MEAC play. With the win, the Hornets earned the No. 9 seed in the upcoming MEAC Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. Tip off is scheduled for 9 p.m.
