Newark, Del. - Hofstra senior forward Shante Evans scored 14
points and added 14 rebounds, though Delaware' Elena Delle Donne notched a
game-high 35 points and Danielle Parker also scored in double figures to lift the
25th-ranked Blue Hens to a 79-63 victory over the Pride in front of a sold-out
crowd at the Bob Carpenter Center in a conference matchup on Sunday afternoon.
Delle Donne, the reigning CAA Player of the Year, scored 21
of her total points in the first half to help Delaware win its 13th straight
game. Junior Anma Onyeuku scored
in double figures for the sixth straight game by compiling 15 points and seven rebounds
for the Pride. Fellow junior Annie Payton chipped in 15 points off the bench,
marking the seventh time she's cracked double digits in 2012-13.
Evans posted her 11th double-double of the season and the
61st of her career with though Hofstra fell to 9-10 overall and 5-3 in Colonial
Athletic Association play. Parker added 15 points and nine rebounds as the first-place
Blue Hens improved to 18-3 and 9-0 against the CAA.
Evans has scored in double figures in 18 of 19 games this
season and has 12 games of double figure rebounding. Delaware's Lauren Carra
finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Hofstra sophomore guard Andreana
Thomas grabbed eight rebounds, scored seven points and added four assists in front
of a listed crowd of 5,005.
The matchup featured a pair of All-America selections and
Wooden Award watch list selectees in Evans and Delle Donne. Neither player disappointed
with Evans added another double-double to a collection that has the most of any
active player in Division I. Both players are in the top-7 all-time in CAA
scoring with Evans now claiming 1,947 career points. Delle Donne, who also had
nine rebounds in the game, has 2,638 career points and is just 29 behind JMU's
Dawn Evans for the most in league history.
Hofstra faced its second nationally ranked opponent this
season after previously squaring off against then-No. 20 St. John's on Nov. 17.
The Pride is 1-12 all-time against ranked teams with the lone victory coming
against No. 17 Michigan State on Nov. 22, 2006.
Delaware closed the opening half on a 12-4 run to take a
46-33 edge into the locker room. Delle Donne gave the Blue Hens momentum with
her third three-pointer of the period, swishing a leaning left-wing shot at the
buzzer for the last of her 21 points and the 13-point lead.
Parker scored 13 points in the first half on 7-of-11
shooting. Evans did her best to keep Hofstra in the game, nearly posting a
double-double through the first 20 minutes with 12 points and eight rebounds
before the break.
Freshman Asia Jackson connected on a jump shot in the paint
to put Hofstra within 34-29. But Delaware finished strong in the final five
minutes thanks to two Delle Donne three-pointers.
In the second half, the Blue Hens scored the first four
points and went up by as much as 22 on a steal and Jaquetta May's layup for a
58-36 advantage. Hofstra went on a 6-0 run and got as close as 64-50 on Payton's
three-pointer.
Delle Donne's three-point play at the 5:30 mark gave the
Blue Hens and Kayla Miller's layup after a defensive stop put the Blue Hens
ahead, 69-51 near the five-minute mark to secure the victory.
Hofstra will travel to North Carolina to face UNC Wilmington
on Tuesday night in another CAA meeting. Tipoff at Trask Coliseum is set for 7
p.m.
