Courtesy of Delaware State Athletic Communications


CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 18, 2005--Delaware State gave mighty Duke a little more than expected in the Hornets' first NCAA Tournament appearance.

The 16^th seeded Hornets were tied with the No. 1 Blue Devils with five minutes left in the first half before Duke flexed its muscle to post a 57-46 victory in a nationally-televised second round tournament contest  at the Charlotte Coliseum. Delaware State was a 26-point underdog in the game.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Hornets had won 15 of their previous 17 games, including a last-second victory over Hampton in the conference tournament championship six days earlier.

Delaware State befuddled Duke in the first half with a lineup of five guards, spreading the floor and letting the shot clock wind down before driving to the basket.

The Hornets led 14-12 midway through the opening 20 minutes, and a put back by Tracey Worley tied the score at 23 with five minutes to go  before halftime.

"They won the regular season and their tournament with that system. They believe in it," Krzyzewski said. "They're quick, and they're good kids. They play together. It didn't seem to matter who shot the ball."

The Blue Devils took control with consecutive 3-pointers by Daniel Ewing and Lee Melchionni and then opened the second half with an 11-2 run to pull away. The Hornets missed 15 straight shots at one point until Worley swished a 3 to make it 49-35.

The margin eventually reached 20 before Delaware State mounted a final rally. Jahsha Bluntt made a jumper from beyond the arc and, after Worley added another basket, Troy Roundtree added a 3-pointer of his own to bring the Hornets to 55-43.

Later, Roundtree had a chance at a four-point play, knocking in a 3 as he was fouled by Williams, but he missed the free throw, and Duke hung on.

"I thought our kids put forth a great effort," Hornets coach Greg Jackson said. "There's no question we gave it our best shot. The kids showed a lot of patience and desire until the talent just took over."

Worley led Delaware State with 13 points on six-for-six shooting from the field, while Roundtree added 11.

Duke's Sheldon Williams led all players with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Blue Devil star J.J. Redick was held to seven points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field.  

"We feel like we gained some respect, but we still feel like we could have won the game," forward Terrance Hunter said. "Nobody gave us a chance."


BOX SCORE: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=254000032