Boxscore

File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

HAMDEN, Conn.-- The University of Delaware women’s basketball team was held scoreless in the final 5:26 as the Northeast Conference’s Quinnipiac defeated the Hens 50-41 on Tuesday night at the TD Banknorth Sports Center.

“Unfortunately for us in the last five minutes, we were unable to get stops and we could not take care of the basketball,” Head Coach Tina Martin said.

Delaware, which fell to 2-2 in non-league play, did not have an answer for Quinnipiac’s Mandy Pennewell, who scored 21 points on 5-7 shooting from behind the arc. Pennewell kept the Bobcats in the game late and then helped them put it away in the end, shooting 4-4 from three in the second half.

Defending against the three-point shot had been a strength for the Blue Hens in the first three games this year, but the Bobcats shot 38.1 percent from three and 60 percent in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Blue Hens shot just 30.8 percent from the field and 0-6 from three-point land. This is the first game of the season the Hens went without a three-point field goal, and the first time since Feb. 10, 2008 when they did not convert any three-point field goals on 15 attempts against George Mason. They also shot a season-low 64.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Sophomore guard Vanessa Kabongo (at right) led the team with 12 points and freshman forward Danielle Parker stepped up big for the Hens with 11.The combination of Kabongo and Parker kept the Hens in the game right up until the scoring drought at the end.

Parker converted an and-one three-point play at 8:32 to get the Hens within one down 36-35. Then Kabongo stole the ball at mid-court, dribbled down the court and connected on a pull-up jumper near the foul line to give the Hens a 37-36 lead at 6:59.

After a Jacki Mann jumper put Quinnipiac back up by one, Kabongo hit another jumper off an assist from sophomore guard Tesia Harris and Delaware was back up one. Harris would later score two of her four points on the night to put the Hens up 41-38, but Delaware would not score again.

After Harris’ basket at 5:26, the Hens would go 0-5 from the field and turn the ball over twice. Meanwhile, the Bobcats went 4-5 from the field in that final 5:26, including three-point field goals from Pennewell and Erin Kerner.

Quinnipiac moved to 4-1 on the year, with its only loss coming to the Big Ten’s Michigan State. Head Coach Tina Martin saw some positives from this game, but was dissapointed to lose it, nonetheless. According to the 13-year head coach, turnovers (which the Hens had 22 of this game, and are averaging 21.3 per game) are what is hurting this team the most.

“I’m not one for moral victories. We’ve got to win these games. We need to stop turning the ball over, and we need to make better decisions,” Martin said.

AGATE:

DELAWARE (2-2, 0-0 CAA)
Riddick, 0-0 0-0 0, Jenkins, 2-4 3-5 7, Kabongo, 6-12 0-0 12, Benison, 1-7 2-3 4, Harris, 2-14 0-0 4, Bailey, 0-5 0-0 0, McLean, 0-0 0-0 0, Parker, 5-9 1-2 11, Thomas, 0-1 3-4 3.

QUINNIPIAC (4-1, 0-0 NEC)
Kerner, 4-12 1-2 10, Rooney, 2-5 0-0 5, Lazos, 2-3 1-1 5, Pennewell, 6-14 4-4 21, McGowan, 1-3 0-0 3, Pratt, 0-0 0-0 0, Barron, 0-6 0-0 0, Dunbar, 0-1 0-0 0, Adams, 0-1 0-0 0, Neyens, 1-10 0-0 2, Mann, 2-5 0-0 4.

Halftime Score: Delaware 23, Quinnipiac 17; Three-Point Field Goals: D - 0-6 (Benison, 0-2, Harris, 0-4), Q - 8-21 (Pennewell, 5-7, Kerner, 1-5, Rooney, 1-2, McGowan, 1-2); Rebounds: D - 44 (Harris, 10, Parker, 8), Q - 37 (Pennewell, 6, Neyens, 6, Mann, 5); Assists: D - 6 (Harris 2), Q - 14 (Rooney, 6); Fouled Out: None; Total Fouls: D - 12, Q - 14; Attendance: 578