University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
1-0
Lafayette
0-1
Trio Guides Hens to 67-47 Opening Win over Lafayette
11/13/2015 10:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Boxscore (.html) | Boxscore (.pdf)
NEWARK, Del. – Three Blue Hens scored in double figures while a freshman notched a double double in her collegiate debut Friday evening as Delaware women's basketball defeated Lafayette, 67-47, at the Bob Carpenter Center to kick off the 2015-16 campaign.
Senior Courtni Green (at left; Winchester, Va./Millbrook) led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field while junior Erika Brown (below right; Paterson, N.J./John F. Kennedy) posted 11 points with five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Freshman Nicole Enabosi (Gaithersburg, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) made a splash in her collegiate debut as she collected 11 points and 10 rebounds in addition to registering three steals and two assists in 28 minutes of play.
Senior Alecia Bell (Newport News, Va./Woodside) returned to the court for the first time in nearly a year to log four points, two rebounds, a steal, a blocked shot and an assist. Bell missed almost the entirety of last season after breaking her left tibia and fibula in the home opener on Nov. 16, 2014.
Delaware (1-0) closed out the first half with an 8-0 run to lead, 29-23, at the break. The Hens put the pressure on in the third quarter and didn't let the Leopards (0-1) come closer than within 11 points in the final period. UD held LC scoreless in the final four-plus minutes to come out with the victory.
Jamie O'Hare guided Lafayette with 14 points while Anna Ptaskinski posted 11 points and five rebounds. Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby notched 10 points and eight rebounds.
“I think that based on last season, we didn't shoot the ball well and we struggled overall, that this was a good win for this group. Defensively, I thought we were a little shaky at the beginning and we had some nerves. You have to get through that and in the latter part of the second quarter we started to turn it on a little bit. In the final half, I thought that the young ladies came out and were focused. Now we just have to try to build on it.”
[On Alecia Bell]: “It was awesome to see her get on the floor and make an impact. She's our best defensive player. She's not going to fill the stat sheet with points, but she's going to rebound, she's going to get the help side and tips and deflections and steals. We really missed her a lot last year.”
[On Nicole Enabosi]: “I think she has a bright future here at Delaware. She's a competitor, rebounds the ball well and finds people. She wants to learn and listens well. I'm very happy she's a Blue Hen.”
Senior Co-Captain Alecia Bell (at left)
[On returning to court]: “Personally, I was really excited to be back and playing with the team. I actually had a bit of a happy breakdown in the training room crying pre-game. I've come so far in a year from the broken leg, so I was just really excited to be able to contribute to this win tonight.”
[On what went well]: “We did really well on the defensive end today. We've been struggling a little bit in practice, but we communicated well and were all on the same page.”
Freshman Nicole Enabosi
[On collegiate debut]: “It was really nerve wracking. I was really nervous at first, but when I looked around and my team was there to support me and my family was in the stands, it brought back old memories and I was able to focus on my game from there.”
[On the win]: “I think towards the end, we really took up our defensive intensity and that's what really helped us. We wanted to come out and play as hard as we could to get the win tonight. We're obviously not going to get up too high since we have some really good opponents coming up, but it's a good way to start the season.”
HEN SCRATCHINGS
· Delaware is 21-3 all-time in home openers and 24-21 in the season opener.
· The Blue Hens improve to 16-12 all-time against Lafayette.
· UD outscored LC in three of the quarters of play.
· With three treys, Courtni Green now has 132 career baskets from behind the arc.
· Redshirt sophomore Sadé Chatman earned the starting nod in her first game in a Delaware uniform after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations. Chatman collected nine points and six rebounds with a blocked shot in her Blue Hens debut.
· Freshman Hannah Friend also made her collegiate debut against Lafayette.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
· Thursday, November 19 – Delaware at Marist – McCann Arena (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
· Sunday, November 22 – East Carolina at Delaware – 2 p.m. – Bob Carpenter Center (Newark, Del.)
· Friday, November 27 – Delaware vs. Wisconsin at San Diego State Thanksgiving Classic – 7 p.m. – Viejas Arena (San Diego, Calif.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Maggie Hayon | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 920-912-6635
