ATLANTA -- Amanda Blackstone (right) recorded her first career double-double with career-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds while Melissa Czorniewy added a game-high 19 points as the University of Delaware women’s basketball team defeated Georgia State, 70-49, Friday night at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Blue Hens, who improved to 16-3 overall by winning their third straight game and seventh in the last eight contests, remained in second place in the Colonial Athletic Association by moving to 8-2 in league play. Conference newcomer Georgia State dropped its fifth straight game and ninth in the last 10 while falling to 6-12 overall and 1-8 in the CAA.

Delaware, which was facing Georgia State for the first time in school history, led 30-24 at the half but had its lead trimmed to three at 38-35 with 15:19 remaining when the Panthers’ Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen hit a jumper. However the Blue Hens responded with a 9-0 run over the ensuing three minutes to take a 47-35 advantage with 12:21 to play and were not threatened again.

Alena Koshansky, who finished with 13 points and five assists, started the run with a jumper, and after Czorniewy drained a jumper, Koshansky followed with a three-pointer and Blackstone nailed a jumper as the Blue Hens went up by double digits.

Georgia State closed to within 49-41 with 10:42 left on a jumper by Keisha Monroe, but Delaware answered with an 8-0 spurt including five points from Blackstone, and went up 57-41 with 7:04 to play when Arek Deng converted a lay-up.

The Blue Hens led 12-8 midway through the first half before a 12-0 run gave Delaware a 24-8 advantage with 7:35 remaining in the opening period. The Hens still led 27-14 when Czorniewy drained a jumper with 4:16 on the clock, but the Panthers closed the half on a 10-3 run to get within six at the break.

Koshansky went 3 of 6 from three-point range and moved into second place\ in Delaware history with 100 career three-point field goals, while Tyresa Smith added nine points, six rebounds and five assists. Deng pulled down seven rebounds to go with four points, while Courtney Irving chipped in seven points and five boards. Junior Chrissy Fisher, the Blue
Hens’ third leading scorer with 12.0 points per game and the teams’ leading rebounder at 6.3 boards per game, played three minutes in her first action after missing eight games with a left foot sprain.

Roegiers-Jensen led the Panthers with 16 points, whiel Marcquitta Head added nine points and 11 rebounds. However Georgia State shot just 18 of 58 (31.0 percent) from the field including 4 of 20 from three-point range against a Delaware defense that entered the game ranked third in Division I by allowing just 51.7 points per game.

“I challenged my team at the half, and they responded in the second half,” Delaware head coach Tina Martin said. “Our team defense in the second half with Tyresa in foul trouble was excellent. Amanda played like a senior tonight, Melissa played with a lot of composure on the offensive end of the court, and Alena hit some big three-pointers for us.”

The Blue Hens travel to James Madison, which currently is tied for third place in the CAA standings, for a key league matchup with the Dukes Sunday at 2 p.m. in Harrisonburg, VA.

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