GREENSBORO BEATS DELAWARE, 118-107

WILMINGTON - MARCH 7, 2025 - The Delaware Blue Coats (9-18) fell to the Greensboro Swarm (17-9), 118-107, on Friday, March 7 at Chase Fieldhouse.

“That’s an elite defensive team,” Head Coach Mike Longabardi said, “We’ve got to be really tuned in to what we got to do from a game plan perspective better.”

The two teams opened the game with a back-and-forth scoring affair, as the Swarm connected on 70 percent of their shots, while the Coats hit on over 50 percent. The quarter ended in Greensboro’s favor, as they took a 34-29 lead into the second quarter. KJ Simpson and Jeff Dowtin Jr. were the main culprits on offense for their respective teams, as the pair of two-way guards combined to drop 19 points on 8-11 shooting.

The Swarm’s hot hand cooled off during the second quarter however, shooting just 47 percent through the frame. Delaware was able to capitalize, going on a 12-2 through the middle stages of the quarter to lead by as many as nine, but the Swarm responded with seven points in the final minute to cut the Coats’ lead to two at the break.

Greensboro re-established their shooting touch to open the second half, making seven of their first 10 shot attempts to turn a two-point deficit into a lead that hovered between five and seven points for the majority of the quarter. Delaware’s offense started to falter midway through the quarter though, as they went over three minutes without recording a point. The drought was eventually snapped by Ricky Council IV, who had a putback slam to get the Coats back on the board and hit a deep three to end the quarter and cut the deficit to 84-77.

Council IV started to take over during the fourth quarter, recording 10 points in just over two minutes to bring the Coats to within four with 6:59 to play, but the Coats were outscored 23-16 the rest of the way to provide the game’s final margin.

Council IV led all scorers with a career-high 40 on 14-27. Jeff Dowtin Jr. (27) and Isaiah Mobley (10) contributed double figures in scoring as well.

KJ Simpson and Keyontae Johnson were the driving forces behind the Swarm’s offense today, scoring 32 and 29 points respectively. Marcus Garrett (16) and Jaylen Sims (13) added double digits in addition. 

The Coats will hit the hardwood again on Sunday, March 9 when the Indiana Mad Ants come to town. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 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.

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