Bazemore Leads ODU Past Delaware, 88-74
Richmond, Va. - Senior Kent Bazemore scored 24 points to lead five
players in double figures and Old Dominion held Delaware to just four field
goals in the opening 12:56 of the second half
as the fourth-seeded Monarchs downed No. 5 Delaware, 88-74, at the 2012 CAA Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday
afternoon at the Richmond Coliseum.
Two-time defending champion
ODU (20-12) will face top-seeded Drexel (26-5) on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in semifinal action.
ODU opened the second half
with a 13-4 run, fueled by Bazemore's third field goal from beyond the arc on
the afternoon and a layup by senior Chris Cooper, to take a 60-46 lead at the
14:01 mark. Following a jumper by UD
guard Devon Saddler, the Monarchs opened up their largest lead of the game at 78-60
on a thunderous dunk by senior Marquel De Lancey with 7:21 remaining in the contest. Cooper scored 12 of his 13 points in the
second half, while guard Donte Hill added 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting as ODU
scored the most points by a UD opponent since Jan. 19 and advanced to the
semifinals for the fourth consecutive year.
Junior Nick Wright scored 12
points and Bazemore added nine rebounds and four assists for the Monarchs, who
seek to become the first CAA
program to claim three consecutive titles since Navy accomplished the feat in
1985-87. ODU enjoyed a 44-32 advantage
on the glass in the contest and pulled down 20 offensive rebounds, leading to
23 second-chance points.
Vying for its first
appearance in the semifinals since 2003, Delaware
(18-13) was led by Saddler's 24 points, his 15th 20-point effort of
the season. UD junior Jamelle Hagins
added 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for his 15th double-double
performance on the year. The loss snapped Delaware's nine-game winning streak,
which was its longest since 1999.
ODU jumped out to a quick 5-0
lead to start the game and held a 29-24 advantage with 7:58 remaining in the
opening half on a basket by freshman forward Richard Ross. However, the Blue Hens responded with six
consecutive points and took a 30-29 lead at the 6:42 mark on freshman Kyle
Anderson's three-pointer from the right corner, one of three field goals from
beyond the arc for Anderson in the opening half.
Bazemore then scored the
Monarchs' final six points of the half with a deep three-pointer from the top
of the key and a traditional three-point play, giving ODU a 47-42 advantage at
the intermission.