This past Friday night, Jan. 28, the Chase Fieldhouse endured two storms that rolled through their home in Wilmington, Delaware: a nor’easter winter storm and the College Park Skyhawks. 

While snowfall was coming down outside of the arena, the Delaware Blue Coats were inside taking on their Eastern Conference rivals in the Skyhawks.

The contest ended in a 127-111 victory for the Skyhawks, who came into Delaware fresh off of a three-day break. The Blue Coats, on the other hand, suffered the loss just 24 hours after picking up a 106-94 victory over the Greensboro Swarm on Thursday night.

The loss to College Park was the squad’s first loss in six games since losing to the Windy City Bulls on Jan. 9.

The Skyhawks seemed to be connecting on all cylinders Friday night, as they had four players score over 20 points for the game. Their effort was led by DaQuan Jeffries, who scored 31 points and connected on 12 of his 17 field-goal attempts.

College Park also had success rebounding the ball, as they grabbed 55 boards compared to the Blue Coats’ 43. Justin Tillman was able to grab 23 boards alone for the Skyhawks.

For the Blue Coats, it was an uncharacteristic night on both sides of the ball. While both Paul Reed and Jaden Springer each had over-20 point outings, the team could not seem to find their rhythm on offense. They only shot 31% from beyond the arc and did not get much production from players off of the bench. 

Defensively, the Blue Coats could not prevent the Skyhawks from draining their shots. College Park shot 49% from the field and was able to cash in on 83% of their free-throw attempts.

Due to the rust on both sides of the ball, Delaware was only able to hold the lead once during the entire contest. After surrendering the lead back to the Skyhawks with just seconds left in the first quarter, they would never have an opportunity to regain the edge.

“We started sloppy,” Blue Coats’ big man Charles Bassey said. “We came up short today and hopefully next game we can fix some things. Just as a team, defensively and offensively, we have to come together and share the ball.”

Over the night, Bassey registered six blocked shots and three steals. He was one of the bright spots for the Blue Coats on Friday, as his defensive effort prevented the Skyhawks from causing any further damage.

It was only Bassey’s second game in a Blue Coats uniform, as he has spent much of his time up at the NBA level with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

“[Head Coach Coby Karl] called me into the office before the game,” Bassey said. “He wanted me to find my teammates and set screens. He told me to just play my role and do what I do, so I went out there and did it.”

Given the unpredictability of the G League and the constant shifting of rosters, it is unclear what members of the Blue Coats will be available for their next game. However, those that remain active will have one day off to regroup for Sunday, Jan. 29, when Delaware takes on the visiting G League Ignite at 1 p.m.

The matchup against the Ignite will be a unique one, as it does not count against the Blue Coats’ regular-season record. With that, it will still be an opportunity for Delaware to gain back some momentum and go up against some of the world’s best young talent.

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