Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Three days after setting the University of Delaware’s single-game points record with 54, Elena Delle Donne continued her assault on the record books as she broke the program’s single-season scoring mark while helping the Blue Hens cruise past William & Mary, 65-52, on Sunday afternoon at the Kaplan Arena.

Delle Donne (top right) dropped in a game-high 24 points to eclipse Tyresa Smith’s single-season scoring record of 632 set during the 2006-07 campaign. As of now, Delle Donne stands at 646 points with three games still remaining in the regular season.

Along with her point total, the freshman forward also grabbed 13 boards for her 11th double-double of the season. She was assisted in her efforts by sophomore center Jasmine Gibson, who tallied career-highs of 12 points and 14 rebounds. It marked the first time this season that two Hens posted a double-double in the same game. In fact, it is the first time since Dec. 29, 2006 when Smith and Chrissy Fisher tallied a pair of double-doubles.

Delle Donne banked in a jumper to tip-off scoring, but William & Mary netted five straight to take an early lead. The advantage bounced back-and-forth over the next six minutes before William & Mary secured a lead through the one-minute mark of the first. Delaware knotted the game at 1:06 with a bucket before four free throws from Gibson (bottom left) and Delle Donne put the Hens ahead, 30-26, at intermission.

Delaware led the entirety of the second frame as the visitors pulled away on nine unanswered to lead by as many as 12 at 6:27 on a Lauren Carra jumper. Carra was the third Hen to reach double-figures on the day with 11. The Tribe was able to dwindle the lead to just five at 2:40 on a Taysha Pye layup, but William and Mary was held scoreless the rest of the way as Delaware clinched the victory with eight free throws. UD hit 84 percent (21-of-25) from the line while the Tribe finished with a 66.7 percent performance (8-of-12).

Delle Donne, a 6-5 All-American candidate and Naismith candidate, opened the game’s scoring at 18:57 but the Tribe responded with five unanswered before Delle Donne struck again. A layup by sophomore guard Jocelyn Bailey awarded the Hens the lead at 15:39, but the score would continue to flip-flop as W&M’s Jaclyn McKenna pulled the Tribe back ahead before Delle Donne drained her first and only three of the game, restoring a 9-7 UD lead.

Senior forward Tiffany Benson brought the action to a draw at 13:40 but the tandem of Bailey and Delle Donne gave the Hens a 12-9 upper hand. Delaware was held without a bucket for three and a half minutes as the Tribe fed Tiffany Benson at the right block for a pair of uncontested layups to put the home squad back in front, 13-12. The game was tied on three occasions and its lead changed six times.

Pye, a sophomore guard, drained two from the charity stripe and freshman forward Emily Correal hit a baseline jumper award the Tribe a five-point advantage at 9:09.

Freshman guard Jaquetta May and Delle Donne recorded four free throws to bring the Hens within two, broken up by one from Pye, but W&M continued to lead for over nine minutes. The Tribe collected seven of the next nine points before Delle Donne and Carra combined for four for the Blue and Gold.

Pye, the only Tribe player to score from the foul line during the action, hit the front-end of two before Delaware closed out the half with eight consecutive points, six of which came from the charity stripe, to lead 30-26.

The second stint opened with two Pye points before Gibson collected back-to-back baskets to extend the UD lead to six, its largest of the game at the time. Benson then tallied a bucket before Gibson recorded another down low and Pye and Carra exchanged jumpers. Junior guard Lindsay Moller hit her first three-pointer of the season for W&M to cut the deficit to three, but freshman forward Danielle Parker used a Tesia Harris assist to reinstate a two-possession game.

Pye, who led the Tribe with 18 points, collected another two at the foul line before Gibson struck from the right block at 11:44. Pye then scored on a W&M fast break but Gibson again came up big with a UD layup and Carra drained one from beyond the arc on a Delle Donne assist to secure an eight-point advantage.

Parker aided in Delaware’s 9-0 run with an offensive board and a put-back at 8:18 to give Delaware a double-digit lead. Carra hit a jumper as the shot-clock expired before the Tribe tallied their first points in four and a half minutes.

The teams each scored on their next three possessions, but a W&M three and a layup brought the game within five at 2:40. The Hens won out as four Harris foul shots and over a minute ran off the clock. Delle Donne was sent to the line to collect her first points of the half and secure an 11-point Blue Hen cushion at the one-minute mark.

Collecting another two free throws with 12 seconds lingering, Delle Donne closed out all scoring to secure a 65-52 Delaware victory.

“Jazz [Jasmine Gibson] was ready to play today,” praised veteran head coach Tina Martin. “She had played sporadically earlier this season, but today she was ready. She was a presence for us inside.

“Today we were flat, but I thought we really gutted it out and hung tough. I’m very happy with the win, we really dominated on the boards,” concluded Martin.

In addition to three Blue Hens in the double figures, Parker and Harris each contributed six. Carra also swiped two steals, while Delle Donne swatted away a team-high three blocks.

For the Tribe, Pye’s 18 were backed by Benson who dropped 10, had a team-high eight boards, and a game-high four blocks. Katherine DeHenzel led the game with five assists and Janine Aldridge with four steals.

Delaware will next return to the Bob Carpenter Center to face Northeastern on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m., its third-to-last regular-season game of 2009-10.

AGATE:

Delaware..................30.....35........65
William & Mary.........26.....26........52

Delaware (17-9, 9-6 CAA)
Delle Donne 6-23 11-12 24, Riddick 0-0 0-0 0, Bailey 2-6 0-2 4, Carra 4-6 2-3 11, Harris 1-6 4-4 6, May 0-0 2-2 2, Miller 0-4 0-0 0, Parker 3-4 0-0 6, Gibson 5-8 2-2 12. Totals: 21-57 21-25 65.

William & Mary (11-15, 4-11 CAA)
Correal 1-7 0-0 2, Benson 5-8 0-2 10, Murchison 0-1 0-0 0, Pye 5-17 8-10 18, DeHenzel 2-9 0-0 6, McKenna 1-2 0-0 2, Moller 1-1 0-0 3, Aldridge 3-13 0-0 8, Hilton 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 19-60 8-12 52.

Halftime: Delaware 30, William & Mary 26; Three-Point Field Goals: DEL 2-10 (Delle Donne, Carra - 1), W&M 6-22 (Aldridge, DeHenzel - 2); Rebounds: DEL - 49 (Gibson, 14), W&M - 32 (Benson, 8); Assists: DEL - 3 (Delle Donne, Miller, Parker - 1), W&M - 14 (DeHenzel, 5); Fouled Out: Correal; Fouls: DEL - 12, W&M - 21; Attendance: 401.