NEWARK, Del. - - An off shooting afternoon derailed the Wilmington University men's basketball team on Sunday, 70-40, playing against the NCAA Division I and in-state foe University of Delaware in an exhibition game at the Bob Carpenter Center.
It was the first time the two Universities in the First State met on the basketball court.
The Wildcats struggled to get going in the early part of the game, not scoring until 16:02 showing on the clock, missing their first four jumpers. The Wildcats shot 26.6 percent from the floor for the game, hitting just 2-of-25 from beyond the three-point arc. Delaware shot 48.2 percent from the floor for the game.
An 11-0 Blue Hen (4-1) run put the home team up 22-6 with 9:41 left in the first half. A Tyler Norwood jumper followed by a Dawson Grinnage three-pointer cut the deficit to 24-13, but following the under eight media timeout, the Blue Hens rattled off 10 straight to reopen a 34-13 lead. The Blue Hens led 43-20 at the halftime break.
A Denzil Haynes layup brought the Wildcats to within 18 points, 44-26, early in the second half, but the Blue Hens ran off another 15 consecutive points out of a media time out, putting the game away 59-26 with 8:43 left in regulation.
Dawson Grinnage (Newark, Del./Hodgson Vo-Tech) led the Wildcats with 10 points and eight rebounds, hitting the only two three-pointers for the Wildcats on Sunday. Fellow Delawarean Danny Walsh (Bear, Del./William Penn) finished with eight points, shooting 4-for-9 from the floor.
The Blue Hens were led by Ithiel Horton's 14 points off the bench while Eric Carter finished with 12 points. Kevin Anderson added 10 points and seven rebounds for the home team.
The Wildcats return to regular season action on Tuesday as they head to Shippensburg for a nonconference contest. The opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.
