COMEBACK COATS! DELAWARE STRIKES BACK TO BEAT COLLEGE PARK

WILMINGTON - MARCH 13, 2025 - The Delaware Blue Coats (11-19) overcame a late 22-point deficit to take down the College Park Skyhawks (15-12) 126-122 on Thursday, March 13 in front of a sell-out crowd on Education Day presented by Strategic Connection at Chase Fieldhouse.

The Coats came out of the gates slow, hitting just three of their first 10 shots and the Skyhawks jumped out to an early 15-6 advantage as a result. From there, Delaware was able to find some offensive rhythm, shooting 50 percent through the remainder of the quarter but College Park entered the second quarter with a 34-24 advantage.

After trading buckets to open the second quarter, the Blue Coats used a 14-2 run to tie the game up at 42. From that point on, the two teams continued to go back-and-forth. Delaware grabbed their first lead of the game (52-50) after a corner three from Marcus Bagley with 4:38 to go, and then retook the lead (56-55) after a four-point play from Thierry Darlan with 1:48 left in the quarter. But ultimately, the Skyhawks entered the half up 63-58.

College Park really started to pull away in the third. After holding a 67-64 advantage with 9:51 remaining, the Hawks went on a 23-4 run to grab a 90-68 lead, their biggest lead of the day, with just under four minutes to go. But Delaware countered during those final four minutes, and trimmed the deficit in half (98-87) entering the fourth.

The Coats momentum carried over into the final frame, as they opened it with a 10-2 run to cut College Park’s lead to just three (100-97) and tied it at 105 after a Bagley layup. One possession later, Isaiah Mobley gave the Coats a three point lead, their first since the second quarter, with his fifth triple of the game.

Delaware ballooned their lead to as many as nine (121-112), with 1:11 left but College Park didn’t lay down and went on a quick 7-0 run to make it a two-point game with 25.9 seconds left. Free throws from Jarron Cumberland put the Coats back up four, but Dwight Murray Jr. split a pair of free throws to make it a one possession game again. Then, a breakaway layup from Jalen Hood-Schifino and more free throws from Cumberland iced the game for the Blue Coats.

All five starters for Delaware recorded double figures in scoring, with Hood-Schifino leading the way with 30, with 25 coming in the second half. Isaiah Mobley added 26 points on a season-high six made threes meanwhile Bagley (16), Thierry Darlan (13), and Aminu Mohammed (10) rounded out the starting lineup. Bagley paired his point total with 14 rebounds for a double-double, and Cumberland gave the team 20 off the bench.

Kevon Harris paced the Skyhawks offense with 24 points, and Jacob Toppin added 21 points and 14 rebounds. Dwight Murray Jr. (19), Jordan Bowden (19), Nikola Djurisic (16), and Daeqwon Plowden (10) all added double figures in scoring. Ike Anigbogu added 14 rebounds as well.

Delaware will travel south for a match against the Capital City Go-Go on Tuesday, March 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

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