gophers/ncaa

Final Score: Delaware 59, Virginia 53

Charlottesville, VA (Sports Network) - Devon Saddler led three Delaware players in double figures with 15 points as the Blue Hens got an impressive road victory over the Virginia Cavaliers, 59-53, in regional round action of the NIT Season Tip-Off at John Paul Jones Arena.

Jarvis Threatt added 14 points while Jamelle Hagins scored 10 and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds for the Blue Hens (2-1), who will head to Madison Square Garden for the tournament semifinals next week.

Joe Harris scored a game-high 20 points for Virginia (1-2), but he shot just 7-of-19 from the field. Akil Mitchell went for 15 and 13 boards for the Cavaliers, who shot just 4-of-21 from three-point range.

Delaware broke the game open late in the first half when it used a 7-0 run to extend its lead to 13. Mitchell hit two free throws for Virginia to cut the lead to 11, but a last-second layup from Hagins gave the Blue Hens the momentum heading into the locker room. Virginia shot just 22 percent from the floor in the first half, including 0-of-9 from long range.

Virginia came out as the aggressor in the second half and took its first lead of the game on an Evan Nolte three-pointer with just under eight minutes to play, but a couple of Saddler treys down the stretch helped Delaware pull away.

The Blue Hens went 14-of-17 from the foul line, while Virginia shot just 9- of-15 from the charity stripe.