Boxscore
Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

TOWSON, Md. -- Sophomore guard Tesia Harris scored a game-high 27 points including a season-high five three-pointers, but it was not enough to overcome a poor shooting day by the University of Delaware women’s basketball team as the Blue Hens dropped their third straight Colonial Athletic Association game on the road at rival Towson on Sunday, 71-55.

Delaware (12-14, 4-11 CAA), which shot a season low 22.5 percent in Thursday night’s loss at Drexel, shot just 26.2 percent on 16-of-61 from the field today. Meanwhile, Towson shot 40.3 percent from the field, including a 43.8 percent shooting performance in the first half, and became the first Delaware opponent to score over 70 points on the season. The Tigers used eight different players off the bench to outscore Delaware’s four bench players, 12-0.

Harris, who has now scored 20 or more points in five games this season, shot 7-of-21 from the field including 5-of-8 from three-point land and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line as she nearly matched her career-high of 29. She also pitched in with five rebounds and a block. Harris' five three-point field goals (seven for the week) give her 65 for her career and move her past Lindsay Davis (1998-02) and Keisha McFadgion (1995-98) on the career three-point field goals list to No. 7 all-time. She is just one behind current Women's Basketball Director of Operations Liz Hayes for sixth place.

The Blue Hens have gone 0-3 without their leading rebounder Ariene Jenkins after she suffered a concussion in the win over Willaim & Mary on Feb. 11, but did get a big day from sophomore forward Eva Riddick. The 6-3 forward from Rochester, N.Y. nearly had a double-double with her career-high 10 points and nine rebounds. Senior forward Ethlynne Thomas made her third consecutive start in place of the injured Jenkins and contributed a career and game-high 12 rebounds. Still, Delaware as a team was outdone on the boards and in the paint for the third straight game as Towson won the rebounding battle 52-41 and scored 36 points to UD’s 14 in the paint.

Towson (16-9, 8-7 CAA) was led by the CAA’s third-leading scorer Shanae Baker-Brice, who had her second straight 20+ point game with 23 to go with six assists.This marked the seventh time this year she has scored 20 or more. Junior forward Katrina Wheeler, who had a double-double against Delaware in the first meeting back on Feb. 1, posted her 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Junior forward Haliena Snowden was the third Tiger in double-figures as she scored 15 points to go with seven rebounds.

Delaware went on a 15-5 run in about a four-minute span nearing the end of the first half and cut a 15-point deficit to just seven, 30-23 at the 3:15 mark, but Towson responded with a 7-0 run to end the half and took a 37-23 lead into the intermission.

The Tigers did not ease up after the break, extending their 7-0 run to a 12-0 run by scoring the first five points of the second stanza. Delaware went scoreless for the final 3:15 of the first half and nearly the first two minutes of the second half as Towson increased its lead to 42-23 before Harris stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer at the 18:07 mark.

Another Harris jumper at the 16:40 mark made the score 47-30, but Towson would then go on an 8-0 run sparked by two consecutive layups by Snowden, and pushed its lead to 55-30 at the 14:16 mark.

Towson led by as much as 30 when the Tigers took a 69-39 lead just under the eight-minute mark, but the Blue Hens closed out the game on a 16-2 run, led by three three-pointers by Harris, and they closed the gap to 16 for a final score of 71-55.

Delaware held Towson scoreless in the final 5:18 and scored the final 11 points of the game, but it was no matter as the Tigers ran off their third straight win and sent Delaware home with its third straight loss.

AGATE:

DELAWARE (12-14, 4-11)
Riddick, 4-6 2-3 10; Thomas, 0-1 0-2 0; Kabongo, 4-15 1-3 9; Benison, 1-10 7-7 9; Harris, 7-21 8-9 27; Bailey, 0-5 0-0 0; Gibson, 0-2 0-1 0; McLean, 0-1 0-0 0; Ferguson, 0-0 0-0 0; Totals, 16-61 18-25 41.

TOWSON (16-9, 8-7)
Wheeler, 5-10 3-5 13; Snowden, 6-9 3-4 15; Davis, 3-5 2-3 8; Baker-Brice, 9-17 3-3 23; Freeman, 0-1 0-0 0; Haywood, 1-4 0-0 2; Nedd, 0-1 0-0 0; Black, 0-2 0-0 0; Fields, 0-2 0-0 0; Parker, 2-9 0-0 6; Petronye, 1-3 2-3 4; Kennedy, 0-3 0-2 0; Keown, 0-1 0-0 0. Totals, 27-67 13-20 52.

Halftime Score: Towson 37, Delaware 23; Three-Point Field Goals: UD – 5-12 (Harris 5-8), Towson – 4-14 (Parker, Baker-Brice 2); Rebounds: UD – 41 (Thomas 12), Towson – 52 (Wheeler 10). Assists: UD – 10 (Benison 3), Towson – 18 (Baker-Brice 6). Total Fouls: UD – 21, Towson – 18. Attendance – 627.