TOWSON, MD -- Sophomore guard Melissa Czorniewy hit for a career-high 26 points, including 18 in the second half, as the University of Delaware rolled to a 67-56 Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball victory over host Towson University Friday night at the Towson Center.

Czorniewy (Holy Angels/Bergenfield, NJ - at right), whose previous high was 19 points vs. Pennsylvania earlier this season, connected on 11 of 21 shots from the field and also pulled four rebounds to lead the Blue Hens (11-2, 3-1 CAA) to their second straight win and eighth in their last nine outings.

Czorniewy reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time in the last seven games and enjoyed the highest point total by a Delaware player since forward Tiara Malcom scored 30 points vs. Hofstra last Feb. 27. The 26 points was the most by a UD backcourt player since Allison Trapp scored 28 points vs. Old Dominion on March 15, 2003.

Tyresa Smith added 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and seven steals, Alena Koshansky added 11 points and six assists, and Courtney Irving contributed eight points and six rebounds to lead the Blue Hen effort. Smith’s seven steals were one shy of her career-high and moved her career total to 217, one shy of third place all-time at Delaware. Koshansky also hit her 91st career three-pointer, the Hens’ only trey of the game, to move into third all-time at Delaware in that category.

Towson (7-6, 2-2 CAA) got 14 points and nine rebounds from Tierra Jackson while Jamell Beasley added 14 points and LaShay Rose chipped in with 10 points. The Tigers committed 22 turnovers and hit just 4 of 17 shots from beyond the three-point line.

“Melissa was outstanding tonight,” said Delaware head coach Tina Martin, whose team avenged a 68-59 loss to Towson in Newark, DE last Feb. 20. “She really stepped it up and played within our team concept. I’m proud of the way we played tonight and we are thrilled to leave here with a win. This game was all about pride because they beat us the last time we played.”

The Blue Hens, who matched a season-low with just eight turnovers, took the lead for good in the first two minutes of the game and used an early 14-4 run to take a 10-point advantage midway through the half. Towson rallied down the stretch in the opening half, outscoring the Hens 10-2 to finish the stanza and pull to within 31-30 at the break. Delaware managed just one field goal during the final five minutes of the half, a jumper by Czorniewy with 23 seconds remaining.

Delaware held the lead the entire second half but the Tigers never went away, pulling to within 42-40 on a layup by Jackson with 12:40 left to play. But the Tigers never got closer as the Hens scored 16 of the next 22 points to take a double-digit lead at 58-46 with 5:58 remaining. Czorniewy keyed Delaware’s second half surge as she scored 11 straight points for the Hens during one stretch. Towson never got closer than eight points the rest of the way and the Hens extended the lead to 15 points at 65-50 with 2:27 left.

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