Hens end winning streak in first CAA game

The Hens women’s basketball team rallied late, but couldn’t hold on to the lead, falling to Old Dominion University 60-59 on Sunday in its first Colonial Athletic Association contest of the year.

After trailing for most the game, the Hens were up by 2 with 1:15 left in the game when ODU took the lead on a Jasmine Parker 3-pointer.

Delaware had a chance to win when redshirt freshman guard Elena Delle Donne blocked an ODU shot with less than a minute left. Delle Donne, bringing the ball upcourt and under pressure, passed to freshman guard Lauren Carra, who missed a lay-up with five seconds to go in the game.

“It was my fault for putting the freshman in that position,” said Delle Donne, who was surrounded by defenders when she saw Carra open under the basket in the last seconds of the game.

Head coach Tina Martin said several players were out of position on the final play of the game.

“We lost as a team,” Martin said. “We’re a young team and we’re still learning. I’m very disappointed with our lack of execution.”

The loss snapped the Hens' six-game winning streak and drops the team to 8-4 for the season, 0-1 in CAA play. The Hens were coming off of a last-second victory at home against Massachusetts on Dec. 30.

This was Delaware’s sixth straight loss to ODU, a perennial CAA powerhouse that has won the conference championship in 17 of the last 18 years. The win moves ODU up to only 3-8 for the season, but their record is deceiving, as the Lady Monarchs have one of the toughest schedules in the country and have lost to Tennessee, Stanford and Maryland.

“They’ve been battle tested beyond any other team in the CAA,” Martin said.

She said she expected a tough match-up, not only because of ODU’s experience against nationally-ranked teams, but because the Lady Monarchs have more seasoned players. ODU started three juniors and a senior, while the Hens only started one junior, guard Tesia Harris.

“I knew coming in, this game would be a battle,” Martin said. “I thought it would come down to the wire.”

She praised Carra, who, despite missing the final lay-up, scored 9 points, including a key 3-pointer that gave the Hens a 6-point lead, their biggest of the night, with 5:52 left in the game.

“Lauren Carra stepped up big time,” Martin said. “She played beyond her years.”

Delle Donne, who led the Hens with 28 points, said the team wasn't prepared for ODU’s speed.

“We came out tonight like we were scared, and we can’t do that,” she said. “We need to come out prepared and knowing we’re a good team.”

The Hens will travel to George Mason on Jan. 7 and will return home Jan. 14 to face UNC Wilmington.

 

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