DELAWARE CRUISES PAST GEORGE MASON 58-41
HARRISONBURG, Va. (March 11, 2010) – Freshman Elena Delle Donne (Wilmington, Del.) and junior Tesia Harris (Dix Hills, N.Y.) led fifth-seeded Delaware to a 58-41 win over #12 George Mason in the second game of the 2010 Virginia 529 College Savings Plan CAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
Delle Donne, the CAA Player and Rookie of the Year, scored 16 points, nearly 11 under her season average, during just 25 minutes of play. Harris chipped in 13 points and shot 50 percent from the floor for the Blue Hens (20-10), who advance to tomorrow’s second CAA quarterfinal matchup against defending CAA champion Drexel at 2:30 p.m.
Freshman Amber Easter (Hampton, Va.) tallied a team-high 14 points for Mason and freshman guard Rahneeka Saunders (Washington, D.C.) added 12 for the Patriots, who end their season with a 10-20 mark.
UD shot 44 percent (21-of-48) from the floor and held a 37-28 advantage on the glass. Mason shot only 35 percent (17-of-49) for the game and went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Both teams struggled from the free throw line, with UD making 67 percent (12-of-18) of its attempts, while the Patriots shot 58 percent (7-of-12) from the line. The Blue Hens and Patriots combined for 46 turnovers in the contest.
Easter scored eight of her team’s first 10 points to give the Patriots an early 10-6 lead six minutes into the game. The Blue Hens answered with an 11-1 run, capped off by a Kayla Miller (Wilmington, Del.) three-point jumper that gave UD a 17-11 advantage, a lead they would never relinquish.
Mason closed the gap to two before the Hens responded with a 14-2 run, scoring on six of their next eight possessions, to increase their lead to 33-19 with 3:20 left before halftime. Delaware would take a 34-23 advantage into the locker room.
After a Brittany Poindexter (Kensington, Md.) basket, Mason cut the Delaware lead to 34-25 in the opening minute of the second period and the Blue Hens answered with a 15-4 run, capped off by a Delle Donne jumper from the right wing with 10:27 remaining. The Blue Hens expanded their lead to as many as 25 points in the second half and were never threatened.