Another basketball game, another win for busy Blue Hens

Kevin Tresolini, Delaware News Journal
·3 min read

The University of Delaware played its eighth men’s basketball game in 17 days Wednesday night.

Another Friday will make it nine in 19 days.

It’s as many games as the Blue Hens will play in the entire month of January and two more than they have in February.

“It’s definitely difficult,” said Blue Hen Dylan Painter, in his third UD season after a mid-year transfer from Villanova. “Surprisingly this is my first full year of college basketball so this is the first time experiencing this . . . It’s just as hard to bounce back physically as it is mentally.”

That made the 40-minute test Delaware received from Lafayette Wednesday at the Carpenter Center both demanding and draining, which is why answering a stiff challenge by the Leopards left the Blue Hens so satisfied.

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Delaware repelled several second-half Leopard charges, including one that pulled the visitors within three with 4:18 left, and prevailed 68-56 in the nonconference game witnessed by 1,636.

“I think there was a method to my madness of how we scheduled,” said Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby, whose team played zero February games last season due to COVID-19. “I really wanted to challenge our group out of the gate.

Delaware's Andrew Carr grabs a rebound in front of teammate Kevin Anderson in the first half of Delawares win against Lafayette at the Bob Carpenter Center, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.
Delaware's Andrew Carr grabs a rebound in front of teammate Kevin Anderson in the first half of Delawares win against Lafayette at the Bob Carpenter Center, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.

“I was looking at the [CAA] standings today. We had played 10 games. Seven of them were away from our building and only one other team in our conference had played seven games away from their building, so I think this group is battle-tested. Each game has been a little different, up tempo, this one’s a little slower, more physical. We keep coming back to how we’ve guarded.”

Delaware allowed just 48 points (Delaware State) and 60 (UMBC) in the two previous wins. Lafayette scored 11 below its per-game average.

The Blue Hens (8-3) have won four in a row, equaling their longest streak since a 7-gamer in January and February of 2019. They host Division III Moravian College Friday night before breaking for final exams.

Delaware's (from left) Kevin Anderson, Ryan Allen, Jameer Nelson Jr. and Dylan Painter head to the bench as the game is decided late in the second half of the Blue Hens' 68-58 win against Lafayette at the Bob Carpenter Center, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.
Delaware's (from left) Kevin Anderson, Ryan Allen, Jameer Nelson Jr. and Dylan Painter head to the bench as the game is decided late in the second half of the Blue Hens' 68-58 win against Lafayette at the Bob Carpenter Center, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.

Painter’s 20 points and 11 rebounds constituted his third double-double this season.

The 6-10 Andrew Carr’s 18 points featured a trio of 3-pointers, including two timely deliveries in the final 6:35.

“It’s been something I’ve been really working on,” Carr said, “especially coming in last year, something I’ve been trying to build on and work on. It just adds another element to my game to be able to make people close out a little harder and then be able to get in the lane and find my teammates.”

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Jameer Nelson Jr. had 11 points, including a 3-pointer with the shot clock about to expire with 1:38 left that extended Delaware’s lead to nine and forced Lafayette to foul thereafter. The Blue Hens made all eight of those free throws.

Patriot League member Lafayette (2-7) does have a win at Rutgers to its credit. The Leopards led with less than seven minutes left in the first half before Delaware found its stride and went into halftime ahead 33-26.

Delaware's Andrew Carr goes down in a tangle of players in the first half against Lafayette at the Bob Carpenter Center, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.
Delaware's Andrew Carr goes down in a tangle of players in the first half against Lafayette at the Bob Carpenter Center, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.

After that lead grew to 10, Lafayette cut it to four. When a Nelson jumper made it 54-43 with 5:55 left, Lafayette responded with an 8-point run that was halted by Carr’s final 3-pointer.

“His game is just continuing to blossom on the offensive end,” Ingelsby said of Carr.

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Another basketball game, another win for busy Blue Hens