Delle Donne leads No. 12 Delaware women to win

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Elena Delle Donne had 29 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 12 Delaware hold off UNC-Wilmington in a 62-53 victory on Thursday night.

The Blue Hens (19-1, 10-0 Colonial Athletic Association) grabbed the lead just before halftime, then never trailed in the second half. They didn’t lead by double digits until the final minute but couldn’t put away UNCW (13-8, 6-4) in this one after winning the teams’ first matchup by 32 points.

Delaware’s zone defense limited the Seahawks to a 20-for-58 (34.5 percent) night from the field and kept the Blue Hens out of foul trouble. They committed only seven fouls for the game.

The Blue Hens struggled early and trailed 20-13 with 7:16 left in the first half after a wraparound pass from UNCW point guard Alisha Andrews to Chelsea McGowan for a layup.

Delaware called timeout, then scored on its next six possessions to take a 25-23 lead at the 3:13 mark. Delle Donne had seven consecutive points in the middle of that 12-3 run and finished with 14 before halftime.

The Blue Hens led 27-26 at the break. Danielle Parker added 12 points and nine rebounds for Delaware. Karneshia Garrett and Abria Trice had 10 points each to lead UNCW.