The Blue Hens have been doing more with less on the basketball court of late.
Their Feb. 18 Conference USA game against Western Kentucky was the latest example, but also the most glaring instance of how perilous an exercise it is.
During a game in which Delaware did everything to overcome its numerous disadvantages, it was doomed by one more injury and some ill-timed fouls that not all agreed were warranted.
As a result, the Hilltoppers prevailed 88-87 in overtime at the Carpenter Center on a night Delaware never trailed from the opening moments of regulation until the last 39 seconds of overtime.
"Two plays in game situations that went against us that are really hard to swallow," Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said.
The crowd of 2,250 included Mike Brey, Delaware’s coach from 1995-2000 before his 23-season stint at Notre Dame. Brey is now an assistant coach with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, who are playing the 76ers in Philadelphia Feb. 19.
Those in attendance rooting for the Blue Hens witnessed a pair of excruciating conclusions.
Delaware was up 79-76 with five seconds left in regulation and planning to foul. But WKU’s Ryan Myers was attempting a shot when Delaware was called for a foul, though it appeared on video that neither Macon Emory in front of him nor Justyn Fernandez closing in from the side likely made contact, though Fernandez was whistled.
Myers drained three foul shots to force OT.
There, with Delaware up 87-86 in the final seconds, WKU lost possession while looking for a go-ahead shot. But UD freshman Alex Kazanecki was called for a foul in the ensuring pursuit. Myers nailed two more foul shots with 0.9 on the clock to win it.
“Kind of a back-breaker for us right there,” Ingelseby said. “We guarded the possession really well. We used a timeout. Just a tough way to end. Tough way to lose.”
Delaware (9-17 overall, 5-10 CUSA) had won three straight and four of six.
Western Kentucky improved to 15-11, 8-7. It was Delaware’s first-ever meeting with the Hilltoppers, who arrived with 1,925 all-time wins, which ranks 18th in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.
The Blue Hens’ recent success has come despite season-long injury problems that have severely impaired player availability. Delaware has had just seven scholarship players the last six games. Only six played against WKU until freshman Jayden Taylor out of Sanford School entered in the final half-minute of OT.
It all got worse for Delaware against WKU, however. Tyler Houser, the 6-9 forward who missed last year after hip surgery, had to leave the game with a knee injury with 4:04 left and Delaware up 68-62. He had 24 points keyed by 4-for-7 3-point aim.
“I feel for Tyler Houser,” Ingelsby said. “He played so well in this game. He was just really playing like one of the best big guys in the league. He’s been an enforcer inside.
I hope to God he’s gonna be OK but that makes us even more short-handed and these guys are already playing a ton of minutes . . . But I love our team. I really do. We’re getting better.”
UD players have missed 104 games, the fourth most nationally. That’s reflected in court time. Point guard Christian Bliss’s 39.3 minutes per game lead NCAA Division I. Justyn Fernandez is ninth (36.5) and Macon Emory 11th (36.4).
In contrast, no WKU players were averaging as many as 30 minutes per game. The Hilltoppers’ depth, with a dozen players getting at least 10 minutes per game, was viewed as an asset.
“At the end of the day, two teams battling,” said Bliss, who also scored 24 points. “Obviously we wanted to win. A lot things we could have done better . . . Hopefully it’s a learning experience and I think we’ll bounce back Saturday [at Middle Tennessee State].”
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Last-second fouls doom short-handed Blue Hens in OT hoops loss to WKU