Hens beat Georgia State 76-74 in exciting overtime win

NEWARK, Del. — Snapping their six-game losing streak, the men's basketball team won an overtime thriller against Georgia State 76-74 Saturday afternoon. Junior guard Jawan Carter stepped up going 8-12 with 21 points, and Alphonso Dawson added on another 12.

The defensive effort by the Hens was the true difference in the game though, as they were able to come up with the big stops when they needed them, including D.J. Boney's effort in drawing two charges near the end of overtime to help seal the deal.

One defensive game changer was freshman forward Jamelle Hagins, whose 10 points and seven rebounds weren't nearly as important as his physical presence inside, blocking one shot and altering numerous others. His most important play came in the final seconds of overtime, when he picked up the driving guard and denied him a solid look at the basket.

"On that last play, his defense on Joe Dukes was the difference because we knew the play they were going to run," head coach Monte Ross said.

Dukes was just one of the highlight players for the Panthers, as the senior guard had an impressive line of 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Not to be overshadowed, senior forward Ousman Krubally grabbed 16 rebounds to go along with 11 points for his fourth double-double of the season. Krubally was a defensive focus for the Hens because of his offensive rebounding ability, Ross said, but still managed to pull down seven offensive rebounds.

"That was a great message I got over to them," Ross said, joking.

One message that Ross has portrayed clearly to the team is the need to finish games. During their six game skid, four of those games were decided by six points or less. Finishing has been a popular talking point for the team, and Ross said he isn't worried about those situations anymore.

"I was confident we could win the game in overtime because we've been in that situation so many times," he said.

Similar to their last game against Old Dominion which they lost 68-49, the Hens had a generous lead of 11 points with two minutes remaining in the first half, but by the end of the half was up by just five points. In the second half, Delaware fought hard for the first ten minutes but started to let the game slip away, and it seemed all but over once the Hens were down by nine with just five minutes left.

But in this match, Delaware didn't fade. Instead, they battled valiantly and compiled an 11-2 run over the final stretch of the half to send the game into overtime.

"I told these guys, I complement you just on getting to overtime," Ross said. "We were pretty much dead in the water, but they don't stop, they just keep going."

Carter said the team recognized the end of the second half as a situation they had been in before, as both teams weren't scoring on many possessions. He said overcoming that and winning the game was just another learning experience.

"We're definitely learning and growing as a unit," he said. "We made some mistakes still and the ball bounced our way, but we're learning."

Overtime consisted of just 10 points combined by both teams, but was plenty exciting. Aside from Hagins game-saving defense on the Panther's best scoring option at the end of the game, Boney stepped up and took two charging fouls on consecutive possessions.

Ross praised Boney for sacrificing his body for the team.

"It's like having Alonzo Mourning back there blocking shots," he said. "It really changes the game."

Hagins admitted he was nervous at the end of the game because of the situation and the crowd noise, but was relieved after his play on Dukes and grabbing the final rebound of the game.

"It got frustrating after losing some close ones, so it feels good to finally get a 'W,'" he said.