Free Throws Ice 50-46 Blue Hen Victory Over Georgia State
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Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
ATLANTA -- The University of Delaware women's basketball team did not travel nearly 1,000 miles to come up empty handed. And on Sunday afternoon, the Blue Hens earned a gritty 50-46 win over Georgia State in the GSU Sports arena.
In a one-score game and Delaware leading 49-46, Danielle Parker iced the Blue Hens 11th win of the season, improving Delaware to 11-7 overall and 4-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
After missing the first of two free throws, Parker, who went four-of-eight from the line, ended the nail-biter hitting her fourth shot from the charity stripe.
It was also Parker (at right) who put Delaware up 49-46 after knocking down a pair for free throws with just 46 seconds on the clock.
The Panthers, who slip to 7-11 overall and 2-5 in the league, pulled within one point of the Hens on a pair of free throws from Kendra Long, giving the Hens a narrow 43-42 advantage.
Sophomore Lauren Carra put up another pair of free throws to regain a three-point advantage at 45-42. Once again, the Panthers pulled to within one point of the lead on Tiffany Anderson jumper.
With the team’s best shooter at the line, junior Jocelyn Bailey, an 86.0 percent shooter form the line, finished an outstanding free throw shooting afternoon, not only going four-for-four, but giving the Hens a three point lead once again at 47-44.
“Right now, we have to win games by defense,” said UD head coach Tina Martin, who improves to 6-2 all-time against GSU. “We have to win games by rebounding. I told the kids I thought our defense in the second half was very good. It was a very physical game.”
Opening the game, the Blue Hens jumped on the board first, hitting the back half of a set of free throws from freshman Kelsey Buchanan, who made her first start for the Blue and Gold this season.
Delaware’s defense came out strong, holding the Panthers scoreless over the first six and half minutes, a stretch that included five GSU turnovers and 0-12 from the field, while Delaware grabbed three steals.
The Panthers rallied and put together a 12-0 run to gain the lead for the first time in the game at the 5:10 mark as Lanajia Ernest knocked down a three-pointer. Georgia State went up by 17-14 before Delaware got back within one on a Lauren Carra jumper from the elbow.
Georgia State wrested control back from the Hens, putting together a 7-2 run over the final two minutes of the first half to take a 24-21 halftime lead.
Both teams had a difficult time scoring, with Delaware going nine-of-31 from the field (29.0 percent) while the Panthers went seven-of-32, including three treys on 10 attempts. Carra was the half’s leading scorer with nine points while Danielle Parker had four of the Hens’ 25 rebounds. On the opposite end, Chan Harris led the half with six caroms.
It was not the prettiest game the Hens have played this season, but it was enough to get the victory. As a team, Delaware shot 17-54 from the field (31.5 percent).
Carra led all shooters, putting up 16 points while grabbing eight boards, one shy of her career high. Of Carra’s eight, she grabbed three on the offensive glass, her first of the season. Parker was strong on the defensive glass, grabbing seven of her eight rebounds on missed Panther shots.
The Hens played well as a team, getting nine assists with Vanessa Kabongo dishing out three. Carra finished with two. On defensive, senior Eva Riddick knocked away three GSU attempts, Parker, Buchanan and Kabongo each grabbed two steals.
It was a big day for rebounding, as the two teams combined for 88 rebounds. The Hens held the edge however, pulling down 47 misses, with 29 on defense and 18 on offense. The Panthers were led on the boards by Chan Harris, who snagged a game-best nine boards, six of which were on offensive.
The Hens established a prescience on the inside, putting up 22 points in the paint, while allowing on 14 from Georgia State. The two teams’ substitutes were nearly even in scoring with Delaware getting 12 points off the bench, led by Riddick’s six. GSU tallied 13 bench points, paced by 11 from Burtts.
Delaware returns home to the Bob Carpenter Center on Thursday evening. The Hens will tipoff at 7 p.m. against visiting George Mason.
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