Charleston’s prolific scoring prowess has been more a product of volume than accuracy this season.

With the way the Cougars were making shots Thursday night at the Carpenter Center, however, the Blue Hens’ chance to topple the league leaders became remote in a 90-71 loss.

Charleston’s 51.4% field-goal shooting night was its fourth best this season and its 40.9% 3-point aim was its most prolific in 13 games.

Charleston plays a fast-paced run-and-shoot style and came in averaging 80.2 points per game, a total the Cougars surpassed with more than five minutes remaining.

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“They had 13 offensive rebounds,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said. “We wanted to guard the 3-point line and they made nine. I just thought made basket, missed shot, they got out in transition.

“We were just lost, and that comes back to our effort, our execution, our ability to communicate on the defensive end where we’re giving guys wide open 3s and layups.”

Delaware also could neither match up nor cope with the Cougars’ superior size. The 6-11 freshman James Scott (13 points), 6-10 sophomore Ante Brzovic (11 points) and even 6-7 Ben Burnham (also 11 points) frequently found free paths to the basket, as did guard Kobe Rodgers (game-high 20 points).

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Charleston, which came in leading the CAA with 40.6 rebounds per game and had 39 Thursday, scored 52 points in the paint.

The defending CAA Tournament champ Cougars (21-7, 12-3) won their sixth straight in front of 2,191.

The Blue Hens fell to 17-11 overall, 9-6 in the CAA and into sixth place. Top-4 spots are coveted as they earn a double-bye in the upcoming CAA Tournament.

Delaware has three regular-season games left, beginning with Monday’s 6:30 p.m. visit from Drexel, which is in a three-way third-place tie with Hofstra and Towson one game ahead of the Hens.

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“We gotta be able to regroup,” Ingelsby said. “I think that’s a challenge for Jyare Davis and Christian Ray to be better and be able to lead this team and see how they respond. Obviously, it’s a big game for us and we didn’t get it done. We’re at the point now where you gotta be able to handle your business on your home floor.’’

Delaware came into the game with a CAA-best 47.1 field-goal percentage but shot just 39% (24-for-61) and made only 5 of 23 3-point tries.

Gerald Drumgoole Jr. led the Hens with 14 points, Davis had 13 and Jalun Trent 12. Ray’s 11 points and 12 rebounds were his sixth double-double.

“We didn’t have good transition defense,” Drumgoole said. “We weren’t able to knock down shots. It was hard for us to execute and I think ultimately it was hard for us to rebound. We let them kill us on the offensive glass.”

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: Blue Hens foiled in attempt to topple CAA hoops leader Charleston