Hens drop another close game to ODU

Tina Martin's frustration with her young team is beginning to show.

The time for learning experiences for her sophomore-laden squad is over. Now the women's basketball head coach wants to be able to beat the best teams in the conference.

Delaware had a chance to do just that Sunday afternoon, but the Hens lost a narrow 66-63 decision to perennial CAA power Old Dominion, which is currently in first place in the league.

"We've won ballgames," Martin said. "It's time to win ballgames against the heavy hitters."

The Hens had plenty of chances. They led at halftime and trailed by only 3 with 12:14 remaining in the game, but in the second half, the Monarchs switched to a half-court trap press.

During a 10-minute span in the beginning of the second half, the Hens had 10 turnovers, most because of the press. Most resulted in easy, wide-open layups for the Monarchs. Delaware only had six turnovers in the entire first half.

"We get to the second half, and we start picking the ball up and looking for people instead of attacking the pressure," Martin said. "Honestly, I don't know why our players did that. They know exactly what they needed to do to break the pressure.

"Every team has been pressing us, and we haven't had any problems with it. That's why we've been 3-1 in the league. And it's frustrating to watch. I don't know if they get uptight or what the problem is."

Old Dominion used its second-half run to race out to a 54-42 lead with four minutes left in the game, the Monarchs' largest lead of the game.

Delaware came back to make it a contest. Sophomore guard Lauren Carra hit two 3-pointers, and sophomore forward Danielle Parker hit a pair of free throws to bring the deficit down to four.

But the Hens could not get closer until Parker's jumper as time expired made it a 66-63 final. Parker posted her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds.

"We can play with anybody in this league," Parker said. "This game was for first place. We lost by three. We should be first in the league but, when you have your downfalls, you get back in the gym and come back out stronger next game."

It was a typical Old Dominion-Delaware matchup—physical, intense, and at times ugly. The game featured a total of 42 fouls, and both teams shot under 25 percent from the floor in the first half. The Monarchs had 14 turnovers in the first half before they put everything together in the second.

Kquanise Byrd led Old Dominion with a game-high 22 points, her career-high. Tia Lewis contributed 13, and Jasmine Parker added 11, all coming in the second half. Parker sat out for most of the first half after picking up two fouls in the first two minutes of action.

Delaware suffered from foul trouble of its own. Carra, the team's leading scorer since Elena Delle Donne is out indefinitely with a nerve ailment in her back, was whistled for three fouls in the first half and played a season-low 24 minutes.

She was still Delaware's second-highest scorer with 12 points. Vanessa Kabongo was the third Hen in double figures with 10.

"We didn't adjust," Parker said. "Everyone wasn't here today. Everyone didn't put up the numbers they usually do. We just didn't adjust."

The last four meetings between these two teams have all been decided by less than four points and were all won by Old Dominion. The Monarchs improved to 16-3 all-time vs Delaware. The Hens will get their chance for a rematch on Feb. 27 on the road.

Next up for Delaware is a trip to the southern-most part of the CAA. The Hens will play at UNC Wilmington on Thursday and at Georgia State on Sunday.