Saddler Leads Delaware Past Hofstra, 62-57
To watch any of the videos mentioned in this story on your mobile device or tablet download one of our newly redesigned apps or visit us on YouTube.
RICHMOND,
Va. - Junior guard Devon Saddler
led all scorers with 22 points, including 14 in the second half, as second-seeded
Delaware outlasted seventh-seeded Hofstra 62-57 in the quarterfinals of the
2013 Colonial Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship, presented by
Jani-King, at the Richmond Coliseum.
The Blue Hens (19-13) advance to meet the winner of tonight's
final game between No. 3 James Madison vs. No. 6 William and Mary in the
semifinals on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. It's Delaware's first trip to the semifinals
since 2003. The Pride concludes its season at 7-25.
Sophomore Jarvis Threatt finished with 15 points, while
Jamelle Hagins, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, registered a
double-double with 12 points and 15 boards for Delaware. Carl Baptiste was
strong on the glass as well with 12 rebounds for the Blue Hens.
Freshman Terrell Rogers hit a trey with seven minutes left in
the contest to give Delaware its largest lead at 53-43. Hofstra put together a
7-0 run to close back within three at 53-50 with 4:45 remaining. The Pride missed the front end of three
straight one-and-one free throws to remain stuck on 50. Threatt hit two foul
shots with 4:12 left and Saddler, a first-team All-CAA
selection, nailed a three-pointer with just over three minutes remaining to
extend the lead to 58-50.
Moussa Kone hit a banker at the 2:40 mark to pull Hofstra within six at 58-52.
Following a missed dunk, Stevie Mejia knocked in a trey with 18 seconds left to
make it a one-score game at 58-55. Threatt, a third-team All-CAA member, hit a pair of three throws with 13.9
left to push the lead to five. Following a layup by Kone, Saddler sank two foul
shots with 1.3 left to make the final 62-57.
Hofstra hit more field goals than Delaware (22-18), but the Blue Hens were
22-32 (68.8%) from the free throw line compared to 7-16 (43.8%) for the Pride.
Mejia and Taran Buie both had 13 points and eight rebounds
for the Pride, with Mejia contributing six assists. David Imes added 12 points
for Hofstra.
The Blue Hens started the second half on a 7-0 run in the
first 2:30 to match their
largest lead at 31-27. The Pride finally snapped the scoreless streak on a
layup by Jordan Allen with 16:19
to go to make it 31-29.
Delaware
built a 10-6 lead in the game's first five minutes before an 8-2 run by Hofstra
gave the Pride a 14-12 edge. Imes nailed a three-pointer from the corner with
five seconds left in the half to give Hofstra its biggest lead of the period at
27-24.
COVERITLIVE IN-GAME BLOG RECAP