Dover, Del. (Dec. 30, 2019) --- Delaware State was outscored 19-9 down the stretch in a 78-76 men's basketball loss to NAIA Washington Adventist in Memorial Hall this evening. The contest marked the final outing for the Hornets before Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play begins next weekend.
DSU dropped its fifth game in a row to complete its 2019-20 non-conference slate with a 1-13 record. The contest does count in the official record for Washington Adventist, which also defeated MEAC member Howard (71-68) this season. The Shock owns a 12-3 record in official contests this season.
Xavier Sewell led four double-figure scorers for Washington Adventist with 17 points. Derrick Hopkins came off the bench to add 14 points (7-4 FGs), while Freddie Liriano chipped in 13 and Elijah Maynard 10 for the Shock.
John Crosby was Delaware State's high scorer with 18 points, snapping a string of five consecutive games with at least 20 points.
Omar Peek-Green was second on the Hornets with 15 points to match his season high. Peek-Green was five-for-seven from the field, including 3-of-5 on three-point shots.
Pinky Wiley added 13 points, while John Stansbury led all players with a career-high 12 rebounds for the Hornets.
Keyed by two three-pointers by Crosby and another by Peek-Green, the Hornets led 9-2 in the early going.
Washington Adventist fought back and pulled ahead 25-23 on a three-point play by Tyriq McAdoo with 10:17 left in the first half.
Delaware State outscored the Shock 9-2 in the final three minutes of the first half, and held a 45-38 lead at intermission.
The Hornets stretched their lead to 63-54 on a jumper by Wiley mid-way through the second half.
Washington Adventist clawed back over the next seven minutes and tied the score at 70 on jumper by Sewell with 3:41 left to play.
The Shock led for the first time in the second half, 72-70, on a basket in the paint by Derrick Hopkins with 3:01 left to play.
Washington Adventist hit four of five free throws in the closing moments to seal the win.
Delaware State outshot the visitors overall and from three-point territory, but was outrebounded and committed more turnovers.
The Hornets were 27-for-61 from the field (44.3%),including 11-of-25 on three-point attempts in the game.  The Shock connected on 41.4% of their shots (29-for-70) and 36% from beyond the arc (9-for-25).
Washington Adventist held a 43-37 rebound advantage and committed just 11 turnovers  to 15 for DSU.
The Hornets begin MEAC play on Saturday (Jan. 4) at home against Morgan State game time is set for 2:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall.