Hens storm past Northeastern, advance to CAA quarterfinals

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – Before the CAA tournament began, head coach Tina Martin gathered her players and stressed one key to survive and advance – rebounding.

If the first game is any indication, seventh-seed Delaware will be in good shape to pull off a possible upset.

Rebounding and a strong defensive effort allowed Delaware to overcome poor shooting and easily advance past Northeastern 74-68 Thursday night.

A rebounding edge of 44-23 over 10th-seed Northeastern had Martin smiling at the postgame press conference. The Hens tallied 26 offensive rebounds on the night, a number greater than the Huskies' total rebounds.

Sophomore forward Elena Delle Donne, who led Delaware with 18 points and eight rebounds, said rebounding was key to the Hens' win.

"It was huge for us because we weren't knocking down our shots," Delle Donne said.

It allowed Delaware to race out to a 20-point lead at halftime. The Hens kept Northeastern off the glass from the opening tip, not allowing an offensive rebound in the first half. They forced 12 turnovers in the half while only committing one and also had nine of their 12 steals before the break.

Delaware held the Huskies without a point for the last 6:33 of the half. A 14-0 run during this time span gave the Hens the breathing room they needed.

"Our defense came through for us," Martin said.

Northeastern has not beaten Delaware since joining the CAA in 2004.

But the Huskies made the second half interesting, pulling within 5 with 3:26 remaining. Free throws by Delle Donne and Lauren Carra helped extend the lead before a jumper by Danielle Parker put Delaware up by double digits again and allowed the Hens to close the game out.

"We knew we were going to get the W," Delle Donne said of Northeastern's possible comeback. "There wasn't any concern on anyone's faces […] We needed to play defense more than anything. Even if offensively we weren't going to score, we needed to get stops."

Parker matched Delle Donne's rebound total with eight,and was one of three Hens who chipped in 9 points, along with Carra and Meghan Maclean.

McLean, the junior guard, posted career highs across the board. She also had 9 points, all on 3-pointers and all in the first half. She set personal bests in points, field goals made, 3-pointers made, and 3-pointers attempted.

Jocelyn Bailey was the Hens' second-leading scorer. She dropped 14 on the night while pulling down six boards. She suffered a scary moment late in the game when she collided with teammate Vanessa Kabongo, but after a five-minute delay, she returned to the bench wearing a new jersey and sporting a bruise on her nose.

"I'm hoping it's not broken," Bailey said. "But I've had my fair share of being on the floor this season. It's nothing new to me. Just get back out there tomorrow and give it my all."

On Friday night, the Hens will meet perhaps their most famous adversary, second-seed Old Dominion. They have not beaten the Monarchs in 10 straight meetings.

Last year, Old Dominion ended Delaware's season in the quarterfinals. The Hens struggled with their shooting and lost 50-49. The two games this year have been tight, but the Monarchs have closed Delaware out both times—in Newark, 62-59, and two weeks ago in Norfolk, Va., 70-61.

Delaware was missing its leading scorer, Delle Donne, in the two teams' first meeting.

Martin continued to stress the importance of controlling the glass and limiting chances for Friday's game. A repeat of Thursday's first half would serve her well.

"I keep pounding it home, but the rebounding edge I think will be really, really big," she said. "If we can control them off the dribble and we can rebound well against them, our chances are much better."