Guru’s March Madness - I: Delaware Dominates in WNIT Win Over Fordham, 77-49

By Cathy Bongiovi 

 

The Delaware Blue Hens earned the first Women’s NIT win in program history on Friday afternoon with a 77-49 victory over Fordham in first round action at Bojangles Coliseum in the Charlotte Regional in North Carolina.

 

“This win meant so much for our group,” said UD’s Natasha Adair, the CAA Coach of the Year. “Coming off our last game in the conference tournament, we needed to see how we performed, and others stepped up today. 

“It was a big statement. We talked about what got us here. I asked them those questions. They said, ‘We played together; we played tough; we played to win’. It shows the true character of this team. I couldn’t be prouder of all of them.”

 

Delaware (22-4) was led by junior guard Jasmine Dickey, the CAA Player of the Year, with 22 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

 She scored 18 points in the first half alone.  Redshirt junior forward Ty Battle followed with 14 points. Senior forward Lizzie Oleary had 11 points, while junior guard Paris McBride rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points.

 

“We always say that there’s enough. No one has to take the weight of carrying the team,” Adair said. “We do it by committee. We don’t care who gets the credit.  That’s the versatility of this team. Our balance was why we did well today and came away with the victory.”

 

Overall, Delaware shot 45 percent from the field (33-73), including 59 percent in the second quarter. 

UD nailed seven three-pointers and grabbed 15 steals while forcing 22 turnovers.  The Blue Hens out-rebounded the Rams, 41-36.

 

Fordham (12-5), coach by Villanova alumna and former St. Joseph’s mentor Stephanie Gaitley, utilized several defensive schemes but could not stop the Blue Hens.  

Junior forward Megan Jonassen was the sole Ram in double-figure scoring with 16 points. Junior forward Kaitlyn Downey grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and added nine points.

 Leading scorer Anna DeWolfe, who averaged 21.8 points per game on the year, added nine points. The sophomore guard sported a plastic face mask as protection for a broken nose suffered during the Atlantic 10 tourney.  

 

Dickey opened play with a three-pointer, and UD never looked back. 

The Blue Hens, who shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, led by as many as 14 points prior to intermission.

 

In the third quarter, Delaware extended its double digit lead to 22 points. UD led by as many as 33 points in the fourth quarter before the final 28-point win.

 

WNIT play at the Charlotte Regional continues this weekend. 

Delaware now faces Clemson on Saturday, March 20, at 5 PM ET. The Tigers defeated Ohio, 65-60, in first round action on Friday. 

 Fordham will take Ohio on in consolation bracket play on Saturday, March 20, at 11 AM ET. 

All WNIT games will be streamed on FloHoops.