On Wednesday night, the Delaware Blue Coats hosted the Capital City Go-Go, the G-League affiliate of the Washington Wizards, officially marking the start of the regular season.
Prior to tip-off, it was announced that Delaware had activated the recently acquired Kenneth Lofton Jr, who spent the weekend with the Philadelphia 76ers, having signed with the team last week on a two-way deal.
The 21-year-old made his presence felt immediately, as he put up six points in the opening quarter, all from his two makes from beyond the arch.
Lofton wasn't the only one putting work in for Delaware, as Terquavion Smith, who is usually known for his work on the offensive end, came up with two steals as well as a deflected pass.
In the second quarter, all eyes were set on Javonte Smart and Darius Bazley, who would combine for 18 points, putting the Blue Coats ahead, 58-49.
Bazley would prove to be an anchor on the defensive end, recording three blocks and three defensive rebounds while also providing Delaware with plenty of opportunities on the offensive end.
Speaking on Bazley's performance against the Go-Go, Blue Coats' head coach Mike Longabardi saw his work on the defensive end as a source of inspiration for the team.
"I was really pleased with his defense and his contesting shots," said Longabardi, "he had some big blocks for us, and that kind of like got us going, so that was that was big time for him."
Lofton would continue to add to his scoring tally, as well as Delaware's lead in the third quarter, putting up an additional 10 points in the third quarter.
Despite the Blue Coats leading all game, the Go-Go managed to make it a close game in the fourth quarter, as they scored 46 points.
Yet thanks to offensive displays from Lofton and Smart, with the two combining for 23 points in the closing quarter, the Blue Coats were able to record their first win of the regular season.
Speaking on Lofton's debut, Longabardi had more than enough good things to say about him, including his ability to read the game.
"Nice, he's an extremely talented player, very high IQ," said Longabardi, "we're extremely happy to have him."
With some of the other recent additions to the team taking some time to get their feet settled, Longabardi thought Lofton might take a game to get into the system, however, the 21-year-old blew away his expectations.
"For the first game, I expected to be a little messy and I thought he exceeded all of our expectations," stated the Blue Coats' head coach.
Following their win on Wednesday night, Delaware is set to travel to Portland, where they're set to take on the Rip City Remix in back-to-back matches.
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