BAGLEY’S GAME WINNER LIFTS DELAWARE OVER INDIANA

The Delaware Blue Coats (10-18) took down the Indiana Mad Ants (15-12) by a final score of 108-106 on Sunday, March 9 at Chase Fieldhouse.

“I thought we stayed together, that was a big thing for us,” head coach Mike Longabardi said. “We hung in there at the end. JC [Jarron Cumberland] had a nice drive, Marcus [Bagley] tipped it in. We’ll take it.”

Delaware started the game slow, converting on just three of their first nine shots and trailing by as many as nine throughout the first quarter. Overall, the Coats shot 40% from the field and went just 1-9 from three-point range in the opening frame to enter the second trailing by five.

A bounce back was in order, as Delaware massively improved their shooting in the second, converting on over 50% of their field goal attempts in the frame in addition to over 46% of their shots from long-range. Those numbers didn’t translate positively to the scoreboard though, as the Coats found themselves in an even bigger hole compared to the end of the first, entering halftime down by 12.

Not only did Delaware continue to improve their shooting in the third quarter, but they also made sizable inroads to their deficit. Led by Justin Lewis and Jared Brownridge, who scored 10 and eight points in the frame respectively, the Coats entered the fourth with an 86-84 lead.

Delaware extended their lead to as many as 11 in the final quarter, but Indiana was able to make things interesting by putting together an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to two with a minute and a half to go. The Mad Ants then found themselves down six just a minute later, but tied the game with back-to-back threes. The Coats were able to escape disaster on their final possession of the game, as Bagley converted a tip-shot in the lane with five seconds remaining.

Delaware featured a balanced attack offensively, with five players scoring in double figures led by Lewis with 21, in addition to eight rebounds. Cumberland followed with 19 points and three steals, Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 18 points in his Blue Coats’ debut, and Brownridge added 16 points.

Three players scored 20+ points for Indiana, led by De’Vion Harmon with 24 in addition to seven assists. Dakota Mathias and Cameron McGriff each scored 21 points, and Boogie Ellis added 17 off the bench.

With the victory, the Blue Coats snapped their three-game losing streak and picked up their first win in the month of March. Up next for Delaware is a match up against the College Park Skyhawks on Tuesday, March 11 at Chase Fieldhouse. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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