NEWARK, DE -- Courtney Irving (at right) put the Blue Hens ahead for good with a layup with 1:25 left and Kyle DeHaven made a key steal in the final seconds as the University of Delaware knocked off Hofstra 59-56 in a battle of Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball frontrunners Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware (11-2, 2-0 CAA), which bounced back from a 70-59 loss to No. 25 Bowling Green last week that snapped a nine-game win streak, defeated long-time rival Hofstra for the 23rd straight time without a loss at home as Tyresa Smith scored 19 points and pulled eight rebounds, Chrissy Fisher added 19 points and six boards, and Irving contributed 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Hens improved to 5-0 at home this season and won at the BCC for the 17th time in the last 18 home games. The victory marked the 200th career victory at UD for head coach Tina Martin.

Hofstra (11-2, 1-1 CAA), which had a school-record 10-game winning streak snapped, had the chance to tie the game but Cigi McCollin’s deep three-pointer just before the buzzer bounced off the rim.

McCollin connected on 5 of 9 three-pointers and finished with a team-high 19 points while Vanessa Gidden added 12 points and six rebounds, Lana Harshaw added 10 points and eight rebounds, and Lizanne Murphy pulled 13 rebounds as the Pride held a 41-30 advantage on the boards.

Hofstra, which committed a season-high 28 turnovers, had previously won 25 straight games when holding opponents to less than 60 points.

The game, which featured two teams that have earned votes in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls each of the last five weeks, looked like a runaway early as Delaware jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first three minutes and led 18-4 with 14 minutes remaining in the opening stanza and still led 24-12 with 7:18 left.

But the Pride battled back with a 14-2 run to tie the game at 26-26 with 2:01 left as McCollin hit consecutive three-pointers. Fisher hit a jumper with 13 seconds left in the half to send Delaware into intermission up 30-28.

The second half featured six lead changes before the Hens built the margin to 50-41 on a Fisher jumper with 8:02 left to play. Delaware still led by eight at 51-43 at the 7:19 mark, but Hofstra rallied and cut the lead to 53-51 on a McCollin three-pointer with 4:06 remaining. A Gidden layup with 2:23 left cut the lead to 55-53 and McCollin converted another three-pointer with 1:38 remaining to give the Pride a 56-55 lead.

But Delaware came right back 13 seconds later to take the lead for good as Smith drove the lane and fed Irving for a layup to give the Hens a 57-56 lead. Hofstra had the chance to take the lead when McCollin had a breakaway with 17 seconds left but Smith hurried back to defend and DeHaven slipped in behind for the key steal.

Hofstra was forced to foul and Fisher sank two free throws for a 59-56 lead with 10 seconds left. The Pride had one more chance, but McCollin’s long-range three-point attempt just before the final buzzer missed its mark.

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