Feb. 22, 2003
NEWARK, DE -- The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens swept the season series with the Old Dominion men's basketball team taking a 63-73 win in front of a sold out crowd at the Bob Carpenter Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Ricardo Marsh (Mebane, NC) led all scorers with 18 points and eight boards, while rookie center Alex Loughton (Perth, Australia) posted 14 points and seven rebounds.
The loss drops the Monarchs to 11-13 overall and 8-8 in the CAA. Delaware, playing in their final regular season home game, improved to 13-12 and 8-8 in league play. Both teams are currently tied for fifth place in the CAA.
The Blue Hens opened the game on a 12-5 run and extended their lead to eight as sophomore guard David Lunn connected on a jumper at the 12:13 mark to give Delaware a 16-8 lead. However, within a minute, a John Morris (Camp Hill, PA) basket and a three-pointer by junior guard Troy Nance (Va. Beach, VA) managed to cut Old Dominion's deficit to three.
Delaware pushed its lead to six after junior guard Mike Ames was fouled on a three-point attempt and would hold a five-point lead five times in the last 10 minutes of the half. With the Blue Hens leading 31-26 with 4:07 remaining, Old Dominion went on a 5-0 run to close out the opening stanza tying the game at 31-31. Loughton sparked the Monarch comeback with a free throw and a jumper, before Marsh put in a bucket at the buzzer to send the teams into the locker room tied.
The next 20 minutes were a see-saw battle as the second half endured eight lead changes and eight ties. Marsh sunk two free throws at the 18:10 mark to give Old Dominion its first lead of the game, 35-34. Until the late minutes of the second half, neither team would enjoy more than a three-point lead.
Loughton connected on two free throws to put the Monarchs up 54-51 with 6:57 remaining, but that would be the last lead Old Dominion would hold. Ames connected on a three and two free throws by Lunn put the game at 54-54 for the eighth and final tie of the half. The Blue Hens then outscored the Monarchs 17-7 in the closing minutes.
Delaware had four players in double figures. Ames led the Blue Hens with 17 points, while senior guard Ryan Iversen recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Senior forward Maurice Sessoms had 15 points and Lunn came off the bench for 11.
Senior forward Rasheed Wright (Greensboro, NC) also added nine points and eight rebounds for the Monarchs.
Although Old Dominion won the battle of the boards, 39-35, Delaware outshot the Monarchs. The Blue Hens shot 40 percent from the field (20-of-50), while the Monarchs shot 35.6 percent (21-for-59).
The Monarchs will return to action on Monday when they travel to Fairfax, VA to face the George Mason Patriots. Tip-off at the Patriot Center is slated for 7:00 p.m.