WBOC-TV 16, Delmarvas News Leader, FOX 21 - U-D Men's Basketball Wins 4 Straight, Defeat Georgia State in OT

ATLANTA, GA – Blue Hen freshman guard Jarvis Threatt scored 19 points and hit crucial free throws down the stretch while junior forward Josh Brinkley tied his career-high with 18 points as the University of Delaware men's basketball team posted its fourth consecutive victory with an 80-77 overtime win over Georgia State Saturday afternoon at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Blue Hens improved to 13-12 overall and 9-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association, moving into a tie for fifth place in the league standings along with Georgia State, which fell to 17-9 overall. However Delaware holds the tiebreaker over the Panthers after sweeping the regular season series, including a 77-74 double overtime win on Jan. 21 in Newark.

Delaware has now won four straight games for the first time since December, 2011, and posted its first four-game CAA winning streak since opening 5-0 during the 2007-08 campaign. The Blue Hens' 9-6 CAA record ties their best start in the conference along with the 2007-08 squad, while UD is over the .500 mark this late in the season for the first time since 2003-04.

The Panthers lost for just the second time in 13 home games this season and have now dropped four consecutive games to the Blue Hens, with all four contests decided by three points or less.

Threatt, who set a UD freshman single game record by pouring in 30 points during the teams' first meeting, posted his second highest scoring output of the season by going 13 of 15 from the free throw line to go with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. Brinkley went 5 of 11 from the field and knocked down all eight of his free throw attempts, while Devon Saddler contributed 17 points and nine rebounds. Jamelle Hagins grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and blocked six shots for the Blue Hens, while Kyle Anderson added seven points.

Georgia State senior forward Josh Micheaux, whose previous career-high was 17 points, poured in a game-best 26 points as he went 8 of 16 from the floor and 9 of 11 from the free throw line. Jihad Ali added 15 points and a team-best nine rebounds for the Panthers, while Devonta White chipped in with 13 points.

Facing a Georgia State team that entered the game ranked sixth in the nation in field goal percentage defense and 10th in points allowed per game, Delaware shot 50 percent in the opening period while opening up a 39-27 halftime lead.

The Blue Hens were still up 43-31 after a Brinkley layup, but the Panthers erupted for a 17-0 run to take their first lead of the half at 48-43 with 12:38 remaining. Micheaux seven consecutive points during the spurt, including a driving layup to put Georgia State in front. Delaware committed five turnovers during the Panthers' run, which was capped with a three-point  play by White.

Brinkley hit a jumper and a jump hook to end the run and bring the Blue Hens back within one, but Ali and Micheaux answered for GSU to again extend the margin back to five. Delaware battled back to knot the score at 54-54 on a pair of Brinkley free throws with 7:46 left, but Ali answered with a pair from the stripe as Georgia State went back in front.

It was a four-point game before Saddler buried a tough three-pointer, and after a James Vincent bucket, Saddler again connected from deep to knot the contest at 62-62 with 3:51 on the clock.

The Blue Hens were down two late, but Brinkley scored on a jump hook in the paint and Threatt hit two free throws to put Delaware ahead 70-68 with 32 seconds left. However Ali drained a pair from the charity stripe to bring the Panthers even, and Threatt missed an off-balance 16-foot jumper just before the buzzer as the teams went to overtime for the second time this year.

Following a free throw by Anderson to open the extra session, Georgia State's James Fields scored to put the Panthers up a point. But Anderson responded with a three-pointer, while Threatt hit one free throw to give Delaware a 75-72 edge with 1:23 left. Vincent brought GSU within one following a pair of foul shots, but Threatt added four from the charity stripe in between a turnover from Ali to make it a 79-74 game with 15 seconds left.

Rashaad Anderson buried a three-pointer to bring the Panthers within two, and after Threatt hit one of two foul shots, Georgia State had a chance to tie the game down three. However Richardson missed a contested three-pointer, and although Ali grabbed the offensive board, he could not get off a final shot in time as the Blue Hens held on for the victory.

"This was one of the gutsiest performances I've ever been around as a coach" said sixth-year Delaware head coach Monté Ross. "We knew Georgia State was going to make a run, but when they did, we never blinked. It was a tremendous effort by our guys, and I couldn't be prouder of them. To pull out a road game against a quality opponent speaks a lot about our team."

Georgia State opened the game by scoring the first seven points but Delaware responded with a 10-0 run, taking a three-point lead on two free throws by Threatt at the 14:12 mark. The Panthers went back in front 17-14 when Fields connected from behind the arc but the Blue Hens used a nine-point spurt, capped with Threatt finding Hagins for a dunk, to go up 23-17 with six minutes to play in the half.

The UD lead was five at 28-23 when Micheaux connected on a pair of free throws, before the Blue Hens closed the half on an 11-4 spurt to take a 39-27 lead into the locker roon. Larry Savage drilled his first three-pointer of the season with 45 seconds on the clock, while two free throws by Khalid Lewis with seven seconds to play closed the scoring.

The Blue Hens will look to win their fifth consecutive game on Tuesday when UD heads to Hofstra for a 7 p.m. game with the Pride at the Mack Sports Complex.


AGATE

Delaware (13-12, 9-6 CAA)
  Brinkley, 5-11 8-8 18, Hagins, 3-5 0-1 6, Lewis, 2-4 3-3 7, Saddler, 7-13 0-0 17, Anderson, 2-8 1-2 7, McNeil, 1-1 0-1 2, Threatt, 3-8 13-15 19, Savage, 1-1 0-0 3, McCullar, 0-0 1-2 1, Totals, 24-51 26-32 80.

Georgia State (17-9, 9-6 CAA)
  Ali, 5-16 4-6 15, Buckner, 3-4 0-2 6, Micheaux, 8-16 9-11 26, White, 3-8 7-7 13, Richardson, 1-4 0-0 3, Fields, 3-11 0-0 6, Kimbro Jr., 1-4 0-0 2, Vincent, 2-4 2-2 6, McGee, 0-1 0-0 0, Totals, 26-68 22-28 77.

Halftime: Delaware 39, Georgia State 27. End of Regulation: Delaware 70, Georgia State 70. Three-Point Field Goals: UD – 6-19 (Saddler, 3-6, Anderson, 2-8, Savage, 1-1, Threatt, 0-4); GSU – 3-14 (Micheaux, 1-3, Richardson, 1-3, Ali, 1-4, White, 0-1, Fields, 0-1, Kimbro Jr., 0-1, McGee, 0-1); Rebounds: UD – 35 (Hagins, 12); GSU – 39 (Ali, 9); Assists: UD - 10 (Threatt, 6); GSU - 8 (Micheaux, 3); Fouls: UD - 20; GSU - 27;  Fouled Out: Lewis (UD), Buckner (GSU), Micheaux (GSU), Kimbro Jr. (GSU); Attendance: 1,751.