NEWARK — It was after the last time they played that Joe Mihalich made his prediction.

The Hofstra coach, whose team had just beaten Delaware in the CAA semifinals last March, declared that the Blue Hens would be the league’s team to beat this winter.

Considering Delaware expected to have all five starters returning, a lot of people agreed with Mihalich.

But the UD squad that faced the Pride again on Friday did so with only two of those expected starters on the court.

Those two seniors, however, turned out to be enough as Ryan Allen and Dylan Painter carried Delaware to an impressive 74-56 victory over defending CAA-champion Hofstra at the Carpenter Center.

Allen netted 17 of his 19 points in the second half while Painter finished with 18 points and a career-high 19 rebounds as the Hens (2-2 CAA, 4-5 overall) bounced back from having a game canceled last Sunday because it didn’t have enough uninjured players. Delaware had seven scholarship players available on Friday.

Freshman Andrew Carr also tallied a season-high 19 points against a Pride squad (2-3 CAA, 6-6 overall) that had won 13 of the last 15 meetings between the two programs.

Allen sank three straight three-pointers to fuel a game-ending 14-0 Delaware run with Hofstra trailing just 60-56. It didn’t seem to matter that the senior guard was playing with four fouls — not to mention having a broken toe and a sprained ankle.

“I feel good, all things considered,” said Allen, who was 0-for-6 from three-point range before sinking his last three. “This isn’t my first injury. I’ve had a torn labrum (in his shoulder), a broken foot, muscle strains, so being hurt isn’t anything to me. Pain isn’t anything but a mindset.

“I don’t hunt my shot,” he said about his second-half scoring. “I kind of get my buckets in the flow of the game. Tonight was my night. I had it going. My teammates had the faith in me to keep letting it fly.”

“He was rockin’ and rolling those last 10 minutes,” coach Martin Ingelsby said about Allen. “He’s been really, really good scoring in the second half. I think for him and his confidence, he needed a half like this.

“He’s worked so hard to get himself in the best shape of his life. He’s had a couple bumps and bruises that have derailed him. He’s the ultimate warrior. He’s as competitive a guy as I’ve ever coached.”

Painter was also impressive. The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder had just pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in a loss to William & Mary last Sunday.

“I’ve been playing college basketball a long time,” said the former Villanova transfer. “I’m a fifth-year senior, I’ve waited for my turn. I appreciate the trust my coaches and teammates have in me.

“I know, in the non-conference (schedule), I was struggling a little bit. But since the conference started, I’ve had my confidence. I’ve been playing well so I’ve got to keep it up.”

“We need that presence out of him every night,” said Ingelsby. “I thought he was fabulous.”

Delaware never trailed after taking a 14-13 lead with 11:19 left in the first half. But Hofstra also whittled an 11-point deficit down to just one, the last time at 50-49 with 9:35 still on the clock.

The Hens lost a similar game at William & Mary last Saturday.

But the 6-foot-9 Carr also played a big role in Friday’s win. Delaware ran a lot of its offense through the youngster in the high post against Hofstra’s matchup zone.

Carr and his teammates made a number of good passes for close-range baskets. Carr and Allen each finished with four of the Hens’ 17 assists.

Delaware had seven dunks in the game, most on entry baskets, as it scored 46 points in the paint.

“Everyone really took it upon themselves today to share the ball,” said Carr, who was playing with a bone bruise on his left knee. “With seven people, you’ve got to trust in each other — believe in each other.”

Maybe the biggest thing to come out of the win was the fact that the Hens showed they can still win in the CAA, short-handed or not.

“I’m really proud of our group,” said Ingelsby. “They’ve stayed together and hopefully this will give us a big confidence boost.”

Free throws

Ebby Asamoah added 12 points, including 10 in the first half. … Friday’s game was moved up a day to allow Delaware an extra day to recover before the two teams play again on Sunday at 1 p.m. … The Pride had won six straight games in Newark. … Hofstra started the weekend as one of only three CAA teams to have played all four of its scheduled games so far. The other postponements were because of positive COVID-19 tests.