"refreshing.'' American University coach Art Perry called it "distracting''.

Guess which team won.

Amid all the hoopla of the first NCAA-sanctioned college basketball game ever held on the Island, it was almost easy to forget that the two Division I programmes were here to win a game. The Blue Hens didn't.

Sophomore forward Darryl Presley scored 13 points and hauled down 11 rebounds, sparking Delaware to a 67-56 win before a boisterous sell-out crowd at Bermuda College.

And while Brey wasn't crediting three days of Bermudian hospitality for the victory, he figured it helped his team overcome the negative vibes of three tough losses in their first four games.

"It gets them away from their dorms and their routines,'' Brey said of the junket. "It's exciting for the kids, many of whom have never travelled off the mainland United States.'' For American, though, that was part of the problem. After seeing his team rally from a 12-point second-half deficit only to give the game away in the last six minutes, an ocean breeze was the furthest thing from Perry's mind.

"I think (being in Bermuda) made it tough for them to maintain concentration,'' he suggested after his Eagles suffered their fourth straight loss.

Asked if the lack of "focus'' was responsible for the defeat, Perry said: "We played two different halves. In the first half we were obviously not the team we're capable of being.'' Perry wasn't against the trip -- "It's a good life experience for these kids.

Educationally, I think it's always good to experience other cultures'' -- just how his team handled it.

Delaware enjoyed a 31-17 bulge before the Eagles closed to 32-24 at the half.

Presley's slam extended the lead to 42-30 and it was 46-35 with under 14 minutes to go before the Eagles made their run.

They can thank a full-court press for the turnaround. American promptly went on an 11-2 run and back-to-back three-pointers by Jarion Childs, the latter with 6:40 left, gave the Eagles their first lead -- 52-51 -- since the game's opening basket.

That was as far as they got. The Hens responded with two free throws from Keith Davis followed by a spinning lay-up by Mike Pegues and never looked back.

"I think we grew up a lot tonight,'' said Brey.

"(Blowing a big lead) really tests what kind of team you are because if you're not a tough group, not a mature group, you'll probably fold the tent and lose that game. I thought we showed great poise for a young team.'' The flip side, of course, came from Perry, who bemoaned his team's inability to finish off easy shots inside and continue the momentum they had gained.

"Once you get a lead, you have to build a lead,'' he said. "We just couldn't get that basket to get us three or five or whatever.'' Perry acknowledged, however, that the full-court pressure -- especially with a short bench caused by injuries -- "might've wore us down too much ... Maybe we weren't fresh enough to play offence when we needed it.'' Nathan Smith led the Eagles with 15 points but was just one-for-five from three-point range. Matt Brown added 12, with ten rebounds.

Presley, a demon on the defensive end, was one of five Hens in double figures.

Pegues added 14 points before fouling out, while Davis had 11 and Tyrone Perry and John Bennett ten each.

Photos by Bjorn Ole Schroeder HOOP-LA -- AU Eagles and Delaware Blue Hens put on a show in the first NCAA Division I basketball game held in Bermuda. Above, Jarion Childs drives around Tyrone Perry; below, Darryl Presley and Greg Miller crash the boards in the Hen's 67-56 win.