University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
1-0
George Mason
1-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Mason | 15 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 51 |
| Delaware | 18 | 8 | 20 | 21 | 67 |
Big Fourth Quarter Lifts Delaware to 67-51 Win Over George Mason in Season Opener
11/13/2016 6:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
• Boxscore
Tina Martin's halftime message about playing better defensively was clear Sunday afternoon in the Blue Hens' women's basketball season opener vs. George Mason at the Bob Carpenter Center.It just took a little while to see the results.
After trailing by a single point at halftime and surviving a blistering surge by the Patriots to open the second half, the Blue Hens (1-0) pulled together and used a dominating final 13 minutes to post the
satisfying 67-51 non-league victory.Junior forward Sadé Chatman nearly posted a triple-double with 15 points as she hit on 7 of 14 shots from the field, pulled nine rebounds, and dished seven assists to lead the Blue Hens. Her 15 points matched a career-high set vs. James Madison last season.
She got plenty of support from others as sophomore forward Nicole Enabosi (at left) added 15 points and seven rebounds and junior forward Makeda Nicholas and freshman Bailey Kargo (below right) chipped in with 10 points each.
Delaware had a solid shooting night, hitting 24 of 54 shots (44.4 percent) and converting 4 of 6 three-pointers.
The Hens also turned the ball over just seven times the entire game, the team's lowest total since commiting five in a 62-50 win over North Dakota State on Nov. 29, 2015.
Delaware trailed 27-26 at the half and a quick start by Mason out of the gates to open the second half put the Hens down 12 points at 38-26 just over three minutes into the stanza.
But Delaware answered by scoring 10 straight points - seven by Enabosi - to pull to within two points and finally took the lead on a jumper by Nicholas and two Erika Brown free throws to close the period up 46-43. Delaware then outscored George Mason 21-8 over the final quarter.
“We made adjustments at halftime and did a much better job on defense (in the second half),” said 
Martin, who began her 21st season at the helm of the Blue Hens and won her 393rd career game. “We had much better ball pressure and better rotation on the backside and we rebounded. We were getting pushed under the boards but we have to be able to be physical and push back and I thought we stepped up and did a better job. Once our kids snapped out of it and got their feet wet, we settled down defensively and played well.”
George Mason (1-1), which opened the season with a 70-56 win over Radford Friday night, got 14 points each from Tiffany Padgett and Kara Wright with Wright and Chinyere Bell each pulling down seven rebounds.
Wright scored 25 points in the win over Radford while Bell added 18.
The Patriots shot just 31.6 percent from the field (18 of 57) for the game and went just 2 for 14 from the field over the final 10 minutes of play. Delaware also forced 15 Patriot turnovers.
HEN SCRATCHINGS:
• Delaware won its season opener for the second straight year and for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons while improving to 22-3 all-time in BCC home openers
• Delaware played three freshmen with Kardo scoring 10 points and hitting two three-pointers in 24 minutes. Abby Gonzales added two points and five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench and Samone DeFreese played three minutes
• Delaware is now 22-13 all-time against its former Colonial Athletic Association foe George Mason. The Hens are 11-4 at home vs. Mason and have now won three straight
• The Hens continue action Nov. 16 at American before returning home to host St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Nov. 19
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
