PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Sophomore guard Melissa Czorniewy (right) scored at the buzzer to lift the University of Delaware women’s basketball team over Saint Joseph’s, 49-48,Thursday afternoon in the championship game of the SJU Hawk Classic at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

The Blue Hens, who received a vote in the USA Today ESPN Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll this week, won their sixth straight to improve to 9-1 for the second time in three seasons. The Hawks fell to 8-3 and lost to Delaware for the first time in 11 meetings.

The Blue Hens trailed 48-46 with 1:18 remaining after a free throw by the Hawks’ Ayahna Cornish, but Tyresa Smith hit one of two free throws with 48 seconds on the clock to bring Delaware within one. After two missed shots by Saint Joseph’s, Czorniewy grabbed a defensive rebound and the Hens called a timeout with 12 seconds remaining. Czorniewy, the Tournament MVP, then scored at the buzzer to give Delaware the dramatic victory.

Czorniewy finished with a game-high 17 points, while Courtney Irving came off the bench to add a career-high 13 and Arek Deng pulled down a career-best 10 rebounds. Cornish paced Saint Joseph’s with 11 points, while Timisha Gomez chipped in nine.

The Hawks took a 23-21 lead into halftime after a low-scoring first period and scored the first six points of the second half to go up eight. Saint Joseph’s still led by eight at 44-38 with eight minutes remaining, but Delaware went on a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the
half at 45-44 when Czorniewy scored at the 4:29 mark. However the Hawks scored three straight points, and following a free throw by Smith, Cornish hit one of two from the line to set up the dramatic finish.

Smith had eight points and eight rebounds for the Hens, while Koshansky added six points. Jen Oyler scored nine points for the Hawks but was just 3-of-10 from the three-point line, and Faith Schutte scored eight points while grabbing five rebounds.

Koshansky was the other Blue Hen on the All-Tournament Team and was joined by Oyler and Hillary Klimowicz of Saint Joseph’s, Toni Horvath of Iona, and Liz Honegger of Bowling Green.

The Blue Hens, who are 2-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association, return to league play on Friday, January 6 when the Blue Hens travel to UNC Wilmington for a 7 p.m. game with the Seahawks.

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