NORFOLK, Va. – Delaware State's Deywilk Tavarez will never forget his Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament debut.
In showcasing why, he was selected as the MEAC Freshman of the Year, Tavarez shined by scoring 23 of his game-high 29 points in the second half to help Delaware State overcome the temporary inconvenience of a 13-point deficit late in the first half to sprint past South Carolina State, 71-58, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) quarterfinal contest Thursday night at the historic Scope Arena.
Martaz Robinson backed Tavarez by tallying 15 of his 22 points in the first half. He also finished with a double-double as he finished with 12 rebounds. Alston Andrews added 10 points for the Hornets.
"We are excited about the victory tonight," Delaware State head men's basketball coach Stan Waterman said. "It didn't come without a lot of hard work, and we knew it wouldn't be easy. We knew we had to be prepared and play hard for 40 minutes. South Carolina State shot the ball well in the first half, but we were able to respond with an outstanding defensive effort in the second half."
The large contingent of Delaware State students made enough noise to be heard in Dover. They transformed the Scope into Memorial Hall South. The sixth-seeded Hornets had their fans dancing in the aisles by turning up their defense a few notches and swarming the third-seeded Bulldogs to advance to a semifinal matchup against North Carolina Central on Friday at 8 p.m.
It's Delaware State's first trip to the semifinals since 2015. The Hornets beat the Eagles in that semifinal contest, 63-57. Fourth-seeded Howard will meet top-seeded Norfolk State in the first semifinal at 6 p.m.
"The biggest thing was defense for us," Tavarez said. "Defense wasn't my main priority during the season, but I knew coming into the tournament, you don't know if you'll see another day. You don't want your season to be over. So, my defense was something I knew I had to pick up. It starts with me as the point guard. Once I picked it up, the whole team picked it from the bench to the crowd. Once I knew the students were coming, I knew it was going to be a good game for us. We feed off that energy."
Following the win, Waterman – wearing red socks -- enthusiastically went over to the Delaware State student section and high-fived, hugged, and posed for selfies. He was fired up as the Hornets played the equivalent of a perfect second half.
South Carolina State made four baskets and shot 19 percent (4-for-21) after intermission. Delaware State's second-half defense was so awesome that Tavarez outscored South Carolina State, 23-22. The Hornets were a swirling mass of menace and muscle in limiting the Bulldogs to single-digit points for the first 16 minutes of the second half.
"It started and ended for us on the defensive end," Waterman said. "South Carolina State shot the ball extremely well in the first half and we were playing some zone. They got some nice looks and knocked them down. In the second half, we came out and picked them up full court, increased our pressure, turned up our intensity, and got our transition game going. That turned into some offense for us because we were struggling to score. The defense was our catalyst."
Delaware State scored 16 consecutive points that bridged the first and second halves to erase a 36-23 deficit. After making four free throws to close the first half, Delaware State opened the second half by scoring 12 straight points while holding South Carolina State scoreless for the first 6 minutes, 56 seconds.
Even though South Carolina State tied the game at 39 with 13:04 remaining, it never saw the lead again as Delaware State methodically pulled away to avenge two regular season losses. The Hornets scored nine straight points late in the second half to turn a 47-43 edge into a 56-43 bulge following an Andrews layup with 3:23 remaining.
"We're happy with the win, but not excited and thinking that's it over," Waterman said. "We are looking forward to the opportunity that we have in front of us. (Being in the semifinals for the first time since 2015) is huge for our program. We are excited about the energy and momentum that we've had. It felt like a home game for us once we got it going. We want to continue to build."
