HEMPSTEAD, NY - The University of Delaware hit just 33 percent of its shots from the field and Hofstra broke open the game with a 9-1 run to start the second half as the Blue Hens dropped a 75-50 Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Saturday afternoon at the Mack Athletics Complex.

Delaware (2-12, 0-3 CAA) hit just 16 of 48 shots from the field, including 5 of 23 from beyond the three-point line, in dropping its third straight game and opening league play at 0-3 for the second straight year. The Hens have now scored 50 or less points in three straight games for the first time since the 1949-50 season.

Junior forward Herb Courtney led the Blue Hens in scoring for the seventh straight game with 17 points and added six rebounds and a career-high five blocks and senior guard Calvin Cannon added 13 points off the bench but no other Blue Hen player reached double figures.

Hofstra, a 2006 National Invitation Tournament participant and the pre-season favorite to capture the CAA title, won its fourth straight game and its 10th in the last 11 outings to improve to 10-4 (3-0 CAA). The Pride hit 9 of 14 three-pointers and held a commanding 44-28 edge on the boards. Hofstra downed the Hens for the sixth straight time overall and for the seventh straight time at home.

Guard Antoine Agudio hit 9 of 13 shots from the field and finished with a game-high 23 points to go with five assists and five rebounds for Hofstra while forward Chris Gadley came off the bench to reach career highs with 15 points and 13 rebounds, forward Zygis Sestokas hit all three of his three-point attempts to finish with 12 points, and guard Loren Stokes contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.

“We got some good looks in the first half that would have changed the complexion of the game, but they didn’t go down,” said Delaware head coach Monté Ross, whose squad hit just 7 of 27 first half shots. “The effort was there tonight but our shots just didn't go in. We turned the ball over six straight possessions in the second half and a team like Hofstra will certainly capitalize on that.”

Hofstra jumped out to a 13-4 lead in the opening four minutes of play and led the final 17 minutes of the stanza to take a 35-24 lead into halftime. But the Pride added to that lead with a fast start to the second half as they outscored the Hens 9-1 over the first four minutes to go up 44-25.

The Hens hit their first field goal of the stanza when Courtney added a layup with 15:58 left and Brian Johnson added a free throw seconds later to cut the lead to 44-28 but Delaware never got closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

The Pride, who won their 23rd straight regular season home game, followed with an 11-2 run over the next two minutes to extend the lead to 55-30 and never looked back.

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