“HORNETS” (2-8) vs. DELAWARE “Fightin' Blue Hens” (8-4)
Wed., Dec. 19, 2018 - 7:00 p.m. ET
Newark, Del. (Carpenter Center - 5,000)
Live TV: n/a
Live Video: BlueHens.com; Live Audio: HSRN.com (DSU Broadcast)
Live Stats: BlueHens.com
Twitter updates: @DSUmbb
Delaware State Head Coach Eric Skeeters (Coppin State, '97): 2-8 at DSU and career (first season)
Delaware Head Coach Martin Inglesby (Notre Dame, '01): 35-43 at UD and career (third year); 2-0 vs. DSU
THE GAME
Delaware State continues its non-conference schedule with a visit to First State rival Delaware. The Hornets have been idle since an 81-54 home loss to Jacksonville State on Dec. 8. DSU hit just seven of its 33 first half shots (21.2%) en route to a 34-22 deficit at the break. The Hornets shot better in the second half (11-for-24), but were outscored 47-32 in the final 20 minutes. Saleik Edwards (sr.) was a bright spot for the Hornets in the contest, topping the team with 19 points, highlighted by five three-point field goals (5-10). Edwards is second on the Hornets in scoring at 12.6 points per game and leads the team with 30 three-point field goals. Kevin Larkin (sr.) was the only other DSU player in double figures with 10 points vs. Jacksonville State. He also led the Hornets with six rebounds in the contest. Larkin has the top scoring and rebounding averages on the team at 14.5 and 8.3, respectively. His scoring average was bolstered by a 40-point performance in the Hornets' 102-66 victory over Division III Cairn on Dec. 3. The Georgetown, Del., native (Sussex Tech HS) also filled the stat sheet with 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals in the Cairn contest. Jonathan Mitchell (sr.) is third on the Hornets in scoring at 8.6 points per game and is tied for the team lead in rebounding at 5.7 per contest. Point guard Pinky Wiley (so.) averages 8.4 points per game to rank fourth on the Hornets and is the team leader in assists (35) and steals (21). He's also second on the club with 17 three-point field goals. Forward Faheem Jenneto (fr.) is fifth on the Hornets in scoring (8.1 ppg), highlighted by a career-best 17 points at Longwood on Nov. 16. In addition, he's third on the team with 13 three-pointers.
Delaware is coming off a 74-68 loss at Stony Brook last Sunday. Eric Carter and Ithiel Horton were high scorers for the Hens with 17 points each. Carter also led all players with 11 rebounds in the contest. He's also Delaware's leading scorer for the season at 19.3 points per game and top rebounder at 9.8 per contest. Kevin Anderson leads the Hens with 56 assists, while Horton is the team leader with 29 three-pointers (29-63).
HORNETS vs. HENS SERIES HISTORY
Delaware has won the last three meetings to open up a 14-4 series lead. The teams last met on Dec. 17, 2017 at Delaware State. The Hens won the contest 68-59 in overtime. UD outscored DSU 11-1 to begin the overtime period and never looked back. The Hens also won the last time the teams met at the Carpenter Center, 64-49, on Dec. 2, 2016. The Hornets led 39-36, but missed 14 of their last 18 shots while being outscored 28-10 in the last 14 minutes in their last appearance at The Bob. Delaware State won the first meeting between the teams in 1991. Delaware took the next eight games from 1992 to 2000. The teams did not meet from 2001 to '08. The Hornets are 2-6 all-time vs. Delaware at the Carpenter Center.
