COATS CRUISE PAST MOTOR CITY, 114-99
By Delaware Blue Coats Staff /January 7, 2025
)
WILMINGTON - JAN. 4, 2025 - The Delaware Blue Coats (4-1) marked the team’s first home game of the New Year with a 114-99 victory over the Motor City Cruise (2-3) behind Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s season-high 36 points on Saturday at Chase Fieldhouse.
“He played fantastic, his second half shot making was unbelievable,” head coach Mike Longabardi said. “It really lifted us and we needed it badly because our shots weren’t falling in the first half.”
It took the Blue Coats offense some time to get going, as the Cruise jumped out to an early 21-8 lead after shooting 81.8 percent from the field through the first 6:07 of the game, but Delaware started to find their flow and outscored Motor City 21-11 through the remainder of the first to enter the second down three.
Delaware grabbed their first lead of the game (39-38) four minutes into the second after a floater from Dowtin Jr., but after being tied at 41, the Cruise outscored the Blue Coats 13-7 over the final 7:42 to enter the break up six.
From there, the two teams would be on the see-saw, as they combined for five lead changes and saw the score tied four times. However, Delaware finally grabbed control of the game during the final three minutes of the third and early minutes of the fourth, as they went on a 21-4 run to turn a 74-68 deficit into a 89-76 advantage. This hot stretch continued throughout the fourth, as the Blue Coats outscored the Cruise by eight to provide the game’s final margin.
Dowtin Jr. led all scorers with an efficient 14-27 from the field with 23 points coming in the second half. Pete Nance added a new Delaware season-high with 28 points, with 16 of them coming in the second half. Judah Mintz (17) and Marcus Bagley (11) both contributed double figures in scoring as well.
Alondes Williams led the Cruise with 21 points while the other four starters; Tolu Smith (19), Bobi Klintman (13), Cole Swider (12), and Lamar Stevens (11) recorded double digits in scoring. Aaron Estrada added 13 points off the bench, and Smith paired his point total with 14 rebounds for a double-double.
The Coats will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 7 to take on the South Bay Lakers at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, CA. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 p.m.
ABOUT THE NBA G LEAGUE:
The NBA’s official minor league, the NBA G League prepares players, coaches, officials, training and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 31 teams, 30 with direct affiliations to NBA franchises for 2024-25, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. More than half of all players on end-of-season 2023-24 NBA rosters boasted NBA G League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA Cares programs.
ABOUT THE DELAWARE BLUE COATS:
The Delaware Blue Coats are the official NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats won the 2022-23 NBA G League Championship and have made four-straight trips to the postseason. The team won the 2021 Winter Showcase Cup. For ticket information, visit WWW.BLUECOATS.TEAM. The Delaware Blue Coats organization is a Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment property.
High-Flying, Slam-Dunking, Fast-Breaking Family Fun.