The late-game magic that lifted Hampton to an opening-round upset of Elon in the first round of the CAA was non-existent in the Pirates’ second-round match top against Delaware.
In a combination of red-hot shooting, Delaware converted 63% of their field goal attempts in the first half, and stifling defense that held Hampton to 23.4% shooting for the game, the Blue Hens could comfortably dispatch the Pirates 50-80.
Delaware built a double-digit advantage less than seven minutes into the contest, as Jyare Davis’ jumper put the Hens up 15-5 at the 13:24 mark. A 13-2 burst more than doubled the lead to 28-7 on a layup from Tyler Houser with 7:53 remaining in the opening half.
Delaware only allowed nine more points the rest of the half, as the Pirates shot 14.7 % in the first half and took a commanding 51-16 lead heading into halftime.
The rout was indeed on in the second half. At one point, the Blue Hens amassed as much as a 47-point advantage at 68-21 on a Jalun Trent jumper at the 14:20 mark.
The margin never dipped below 30 points as Delaware cruised to an 80-50 victory to advance to the next round.
Three Delaware players scored in double figures, led by Gerald Drumgoole Jr, who scored 17. Cavan Reilly added 14 points of his own, and Jalun Trent chipped in with 12 points.
Kyrese Mullen was the leading scorer for the Pirates, with 17 points and nine rebounds, but shot just 5-17 from the floor, including 1-7 from downtown. Jerry Dang contributed 13 points and five rebounds on 4-10 from the floor, and Hampton’s second-leading scorer, Tedrick Wilcox, Jr, scored 10 points but also struggled mightily from the field, shooting just 3-14 on the evening.
The loss ends a season in which the Pirates went 9-24 overall and just 3-15 in the CAA.
