Dover, Del. (Jan. 11, 2010) ---
Chad Wilson had scored just three points all season, and Brandon Baylor was playing in his first ever game for the Hornets, having just been declared eligible this weekend. But they combined to score 30 points on 11-17 shooting to lead Delaware State to a 67-58 win over South Carolina State on Monday night at Memorial Hall.
Wilson entered the contest averaging 0.4 points per contest. The first time in his career he had played double-digit minutes was on Saturday night against Winston-Salem State. But in his first career start at DSU he led all scorers with 19 points on 7-11 shooting, including 3 three pointers that got the Hornet crowd up and out of their seats.
"Coach told me to look for my shot if it was there." said Wilson, who set a career high in every measurable statistical category. "I was lucky to feed off the momentum of my teammates. The coaches have said just wait for your opportunity, so I tried to do that today."
The sophomore transfer Baylor picked up 11 in his first game in red and blue, including a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. His layup with 13:50 to go cut the Hornet deficit to one, which he followed with back-to-back three-pointers that give the home team their first lead since the opening minutes at 41-38. From there the Hornets wouldn't trail again, leading by as much as 14 with just over a minute remaining.
"We knew Brandon could do that," said head coach Greg Jackson, who moves to 10-7 career against the Bulldogs while coaching at DSU. "He can score, and once he understands our offense and defense we'll be expecting big things from him."
The MEAC's #1 defense continued to play with authority, forcing 22 Bulldog turnovers, including seven from SCSU star Darnell Porter, while committing only 11 themselves. Jay Threatt added to his total steals with four, which places him in the Division I's top ten entering tonight's play. The Hornets were also to defend without fouling, shooting 22-34 free throws while keeping the Bulldogs to just 5-8 from the stripe.
Frisco Sandidge had 11 points and a game high seven rebounds to lead both teams. DSU also held a 19-10 advantage on the offensive glass, thanks in part to attention garnered by the senior forward from Lynchburg, Va.
The Hornets head to Daytona Beach, Fla. to take on Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 16th at 4:00 p.m. Radio will be available both on the Hornets Radio Network, as well as DSUHornets.com.
