Courtesy Alex Mowrey, Pittsburgh Athletics
Three Blue Hens have racked up double-digit points to help Delaware take a 2-0 win this season.
BY
Senior Sports Reporter
In their first street game of an unorthodox season, the women’s basketball team scored an impressive win against Power Five opponents Pittsburgh with a score of 85-79. The Blue Hens are now 2-0 after beating Salem at home last week.
Defensive sales and clutch three-point points ensured the second win of the season for Delaware on Sunday evening at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. The Blue Hens forced 24 sales through the Panthers Offensive and knocked down 10 three-pointers with a 37% clip.
Although outnumbered between 47 and 34, the Blue Hens made up for that deficit by getting five more free throws than Pittsburgh, 14 less sales and 25 points less Panther sales.
Junior Guard Paris McBride led offensive firepower with a career high of 29 points and four assists. McBride shot 9 to 14 off the field, 4 to 8 from three point distance, and hit all seven shots from the free throw line.
Meanwhile, star striker Jasmine Dickey had 20 points, four steals and nine rebounds, five of which went on the offensive. Dickey had a career day against Salem with 31 points behind him and again played a key role in Sunday’s matchup.
Senior Tee Johnson was third with the Blue Hens, 13 points back. Senior colleague Lizzie Oleary and Redshirt junior Ty Battle played a key role in the color with six rebounds each.
The win marked Delaware’s first win against an Athletic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent and a Power Five school since 2013, when they defeated Wake Forest.
The Panthers struggled to gain traction in all four quarters, with Delaware leading most of the game. The Blue Hens didn’t follow up until Pittsburgh took the lead at 6:54 in the third quarter at 45:44.
After 53-46, McBride corrected their team’s biggest deficit in the game with two consecutive groups of three. Johnson and freshman Tyi Skinner both had their own three pointers in the late third quarter to finish the game at 62 in the last ten minutes.
From there, Delaware’s Point Guard took over. McBride scored 12 of the team’s 23 points in the fourth quarter, including a layup with a foul and two crossover jumpers.
Despite Pittsburgh’s efforts to make up a late eight point deficit, the Blue Hens managed to hold them off with free throws and solid defenses, including a late distraction from Oleary. The Panthers’ hopes of a comeback were completely derailed after a technical foul for six players by less than a minute.
After that marquee victory on the street, the Blue Hens will try to finish their conference schedule on a strong note. While more games can be added, a street match against George Washington on December 20th will be considered the next and final test outside of the Blue Hens conference.
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