Daytona Beach, Fla. (Jan. 16, 2010) --- Delaware State hit 17-of-29 second half shots, including seven three-pointers, en route to a 77-60 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's basketball win over Bethune-Cookman at Moore Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The Hornets won their third straight game to improve to 7-7 overall and 2-1 in the MEAC. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Wildcats, who fell to 10-7 and 3-1. Bethune-Cookman was tied with Morgan State for first place in the MEAC standings entering the contest.
Delaware State was seven-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half, and outscored BCU 46-29 in the final 20 minutes.
"This was clearly our best effort of the season," said Delaware State head coach Greg Jackson, who improved to 14-4 vs. Bethune-Cookman and 111-50 in MEAC regular season games at DSU. "Bethune-Cookman is a tough, well-coached team, and we needed to play with a great deal of intensity to beat them. To win on the road against one of the top teams in our league says a lot about how far we've come this season."
Delaware State's Marcus Neal led four Hornets in double-figures with a game-high 19 points, one shy of the career-best he set against Winston-Salem State a week ago. Neal's performance included three three-point field goals, five rebounds and three assists.
Freshman Marques Oliver came off the bench to have a career day for the Hornets. Oliver was eight-for-nine from the field en route to a season-high 16 points. He also set personal bests with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Chad Wilson continued his recent hot streak for DSU. Wilson knocked down four three-pointers (4-for-6) to highlight a 14-point performance. He now has 33 points in the last two games after scoring just three points in his first eight contests this season.
Jay Threatt rounded out the Hornets' double-figure scorers with 12 points. He also had a career-high nine assists and three steals.
Frisco Sandidge led DSU with nine rebounds to go along with nine points.
Bethune-Cookman led by as many as six points in the early going, but Threatt hit a 25-foot bank shot with four seconds left in the half to even the score at 31 at the break.
The score was 38-38 when Delaware State took control. Wilson started an 11-2 run with a three-pointer and ended it with another three to give the Hornets a 49-40 lead with 12:34 left to play.
After back-to-back three-pointers pulled the Wildcats to within 49-46, the Hornets rallied again.
Wilson and Neal knocked down three-pointers and Threat hit a lay up to give Delaware State a 57-46 lead with 10:08 remaining.
The Hornets used a 14-3 run to put the Wildcats away for good. Oliver capped off the run with a lay up to give DSU its biggest lead, 73-52, with 2:31 left to play.
Delaware State's point total was a high for the season. The previous high was 75 vs. Delaware on Dec. 1. DSU also nailed a season-best nine three-pointers.
The Hornets will wrap up their two-game Florida swing with a visit to Florida A&M on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in the Rattlers new arena in Tallahassee.
