NEWARK, DE -- Junior guard Tyresa Smith (right) pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds and was one of four University of Delaware scorers in double figures with 20 points as the Blue Hens bounced back from a tough outing Friday and knocked off red-hot James Madison for a 70-62 Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball triumph Sunday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The Hens (10-2, 2-1 CAA), who had a six-game win streak snapped in a 55-41 setback at UNC Wilmington Friday, bounced back in a big way as Melissa Czorniewy added 16 points and dished out a career-high five assists, Alena Koshansky added 13 points, and Arek Deng dropped in a career-high 10 points to lead the way.

James Madison, which entered the game riding a nine-game winning streak and was tied for the CAA lead, fell to 10-2 (2-1 CAA) despite an 18-point, 12-rebound performance from Meredith Alexis and 18 points, including 12 in the opening half, from Tamera Young. Shirley McCall also added 10 points and Andrea Benvenuto dished out a game-high seven assists. Alexis recorded her school-record 30th career double-double.

The Hens, who shot just 25 percent from the field and scored just 12 field goals in the loss to UNC Wilmington, hit on 11 of their first 13 shots from the field and finished shooting 49.1 percent from the field (26 of 53). Delaware also hit on 15 of 20 free throws, converting 8 of 10 in the final three minutes to hold off the Dukes. James Madison converted just 23 of 65 shots from the field (35.4 percent) and knocked down just 4 of 15 three-pointers for the game. The Dukes hit just 13 of 38 shots from the field in the second half.

Delaware came out strong, hitting 11 of its first 13 shots and taking a 24-10 lead just seven minutes into the contest. But James Madison got things under control and whittled away at the UD lead, eventually cutting the margin to 29-27 with 3:10 left in the first half and going into intermission trailing 33-29.

The Delaware lead was extended to nine points at 46-37 five minutes into the second half, but James Madison once again rallied and gained its first lead of the game at 47-46 with 10:22 left on a layup by Lesley Dickinson. The Dukes held the lead for the next five minutes before a layup by Smith with 5:26 left gave the Hens the lead back. JMU tied the
score at 58-58 on a three-pointer by Young with 3:42 left, but the rest of the game belonged to the Blue Hens.

Deng hit a jumper with 3:16 left to put the Hens up for good at 62-60 and started a 12-2 run that put the game away. James Madison made just one of its final eight field goal attempts, finally breaking nearly a three-minute drought on a basket by Alexis just before the final buzzer.

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