TOWSON, Md. – Delaware freshman guard Jarvis Threatt scored 11 of his game-high 29 points in the final five minutes to lead the Blue Hens past Towson, 76-69, Wednesday evening at the Towson Center.

Senior forward Robert Nwankwo registered his 14th double-double of the season as the Tigers (1-29, 1-16 CAA) nearly pulled off a thrilling upset in their final home game of the season. Nwankwo, who tallied 12 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds on senior night, has now posted double-doubles in 10 of his last 13 games.

Towson also received major contributions from sophomore Marcus Damas and freshman Kris Walden. Damas reached the 20-point plateau for the third time this season as the forward netted a team-high 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting. Walden scored all of his career-high 18 points in the second half as the Tigers dropped their seventh straight.

Delaware (16-12, 11-6 CAA), which has won seven straight games, moves into sole possession of fifth-place in the CAA standings with one game remaining in the season.

In a game that was tied seven times, Threatt gave Delaware the final lead of the game when he connected on a jumper with 4:42 remaining, snapping a 57-57 tie. Moments later, he converted two free throws to put Delaware ahead, 61-57 with 4:02 left.

However, Damas kept the Tigers' hopes alive when he nailed a three-pointer with 3:12 remaining to make it a 61-60 lead. But, Delaware sophomore guard Devon Sadler responded by hitting a driving layup as he was fouled with 2:47 left. When Sadler made the ensuing free throw, the Blue Hens owned a 64-60 advantage. Another driving layup by Threatt with 2:03 remaining increased the Blue Hens' lead to 66-60.

After Walden hit a jumper cut the Tigers' deficit to four points, Threatt nailed a three-pointer that gave the Blue Hens a 69-62 lead with 1:32 left in the game. Delaware protected its lead by making 7-of-10 free throws in the final 64 seconds.

The Blue Hens, who dealt the Tigers a 62-43 loss in Newark last month, were hard-pressed to pull out a win in the rematch. In the opening 10 minutes, the Tigers outscored the Blue Hens, 17-12, as Damas scored nine points. Trailing 20-16, Delaware went on an 11-2 run to grab a 27-22 lead on Threatt's three-point play with 3:12 remaining.

Despite being held to 33 percent shooting in the first half, Delaware owned a 33-25 lead at intermission.

In the second half, the Tigers spent the first 10 minutes trying to trim the Blue Hens' lead. With 10:54 remaining in the contest, Tiger sophomore Erique Gumbs stole the ball and fed it to Walden, who drove for a layup to give Towson a 47-46 lead. Over the next six minutes, the score was tied three times before Threatt put the game in his own hands.

Threatt scored 29 points in 31 minutes off the bench. He shot 6-for-11 from the floor and 16-for-19 from the free throw line. He also had five rebounds and four steals. Saddler, the second-leading scorer in the CAA, added 17 points while junior forward Josh Brinkley scored 12 points.

The Tigers, who scored a season-high 69 points, outrebounded Delaware by a 39-33 margin. Towson has won the battle of the boards in 11 of their last 12 games.

The Blue Hens, who close out the regular season on Saturday at Northeastern, have clinched the No. 5 seed for next week's CAA Tournament in Richmond. The Tigers, who will enter the tournament as the No. 12 seed and take on the Blue Hens for the third time this year, visit James Madison in their regular season finale on Saturday night.

The three Tiger seniors – Nwankwo, Bryan Blackstone and Deyon Cook – were honored in a pregame ceremony along with four senior managers.


-TowsonTigers.com-