After being away from the Chase Fieldhouse for nearly a month, the Delaware Blue Coats returned home for the first time in 2022. The team took on the Grand Rapids Gold in an affair that resulted in a 115-111 victory for the Coats.
Delaware jumped out of the gates firing, leading by as much as 27 points after the first quarter and a half of play. Haywood Highsmith had the hot hand during the first half, scoring 20 points and shooting 8-12 from the field.
Despite the big lead, the Gold were able to make a late, second-quarter push and bring the game within fighting distance. Delaware’s lead was cut to just 57-51 at halftime.
The Gold kept the game close for much of the second half, capturing their second lead of the game when they went up 84-83 at the end of the third quarter. Matt Ryan gave the Gold the spark they needed to get off the bench, scoring 13 points in the quarter and 39 points throughout the game.
While Ryan and the Gold certainly had it going for several moments in the second half, the Blue Coats were able to walk away with the victory in the end.
Highsmith may have been the star of the first half but Shaquille Harrison was the guy that took over at the end of the game. Harrison, the team’s leading scorer of the day, scored 25 of his 27 points after halftime.
“I try to see how everything is lining up and going,” Harrison said. “Sometimes, you got to let your team play and should not be calling for the ball but, today, I had the hot hand and my teammates fed me.”
While Harrison was certainly the pulling force in his team’s victory, he was able to receive valuable production from many of his teammates. All five of the Blue Coats’ starters ended the game in the double-digits for scoring.
Braxton Key was aggressive down low, scoring many of his 19 points from within the paint and grabbing six rebounds. Jaden Springer made an impact on both sides of the ball, scoring 22 points on offense and registering five of the Blue Coats’ 16 total defensive steals.
With the win, the Blue Coats advanced to 2-2 since capturing the G League Showcase Cup. They will have another battle at home with the Gold tomorrow in the second game of their back-to-back series.
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