![“[It’s] very low stakes. There's no auditioning; we rarely make cuts, you know. It's very welcoming,” Duffy said. - Multimedia Editor / Matthew Millroy](https://thewhitonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_2612.jpg)
!["Between poems, owner of Words Matter Bookstore and host Keryl Hausmann spoke, saying 'To listen to [poetry] is different than to read it.'" - Graphics Editor / Brendan Cohen](https://thewhitonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_0653.png)
They don’t call them the comeback Coats for no reason.
In front of a sold-out crowd on Thursday, March 13, the Delaware Blue Coats (11-19) rallied back from a late 22-point deficit to take down the College Park Skyhawks (15-12) by a score of 126-122.
For Delaware, it was sweet revenge as just two days prior, the Blue Coats squandered a 16-point halftime advantage against them. But on Thursday, they flipped the script.
“We’ve been on the other side of the stick, so it was really good, really satisfying to finish it out,” head coach Mike Longabardi said.
Delaware came out of the gates sloppy, as they connected on just 30 percent of their first 10 shots and committed four fouls within the first 3:30. As a result, College Park was able to jump out to an early 15-6 advantage.
“We got to defend without fouling, it’s that simple,” Longabardi said.
The Blue Coats only committed two more fouls the rest of the quarter, and it allowed their offense to find a better rhythm, especially when it came to the paint.
Off-ball players like Aminu Mohammed and Thierry Darlan continuously cut back doors for open looks at the basket, which led to more open looks from the perimeter later in the frame, as the Hawks defenders crashed whenever someone approached the restricted area.
“We watched back and looked at where we could attack their defense,” Marcus Bagley said. “We came out and we executed today.”
Despite that, the Blue Coats entered the second quarter down 10. But it didn’t stay that way for long. After trading baskets to open the frame, the Blue Coats went on a 14-2 run to crawl their way back and tie the game at 42 after a three from Isaiah Mobley. Bagley gave the team a 52-50 lead, their first of the day, with a corner three, and then Darlan put Delaware back in front with a four-point play to make it a 56-55 game. But the Coats couldn’t sustain another run and College Park led at the break 63-58.
The third quarter however, was like deja vu to Tuesday. After being outscored 40-18 in the frame in the previous matchup, things seemed like they were on pace to happen again, as the Hawks dominated with a 23-4 run that spanned for nearly half the quarter. Now, in the blink of an eye, the Blue Coats were down 22, with just four minutes left in the quarter.
“In both games, Tuesday and today, we came out flat in the third,” Bagley said. “So for us to pick up our energy on both sides of the floor and play with a little more pace, I think that helped us in the long run.”
Delaware made some inroads during the final four minutes and trimmed the deficit down to 11. Luckily for them, the final frame was the complete inverse of the third. The Coats opened the game on a 10-2 run to make it 100-97 and then tied it at 105 after a Bagley layup.
“We defended, we just started getting the ball out quick,” Longabardi said. “It’s the G League, these things happen… the game’s not over until the final buzzer sounds.”
One possession later, Mobley gave the Coats their first lead since 1:48 left in the second with his fifth three-ball of the game. Mobley finished with 26 points on a season-high six made threes and seven rebounds.
“He was fantastic,” Longabardi said. “He came in and made some threes, but the rebounding was huge for us.”
The Coats kept pouncing on the Hawks, turning that 22-point deficit into a nine-point advantage with just 71 seconds left, but the Skyhawks didn’t back down and went on a quick 7-0 run. In a flash, the Coats’ lead was trimmed down to just two.
After receiving the inbound, the Skyhawks fouled Jarron Cumberland to send him to the line, where he sank both free throws. Then, with Dwight Murray Jr. driving to the basket, Patrick McCaw fouled him, sending him to the line where he split the free throws, keeping it a one possession game, but a breakaway layup from Jalen Hood-Schifino and more free throws from Cumberland iced the comeback.
“[The win] says a lot about the players we have in the locker room and coaches we have,” Bagley said. “I’m gonna keep fighting for them and it’s a great win for us.”
For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @TheWhitSports or email sports@thewhitonline.com
