University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
4-0
Princeton
0-4
Blue Hens Hold Off Princeton, Stay Unbeaten with 66-62 Triumph
11/22/2016 9:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
• Boxscore (html)
• Boxscore (pdf)
NEWARK, Del. - Still perfect!
The University of Delaware women's basketball squad remained unbeaten on the young season as the Blue Hens built a nine-point lead before holding off Princeton for an exciting 66-62 non-league victory Tuesday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Senior guard Erika Brown had her best performance of the season as she recorded team-highs of 16 points and eight rebounds and knocked down two free throws witih five seconds with the Hens clinging to a two-point lead.
Delaware's Sadé Chatman, who added 12 points and eight rebounds, hit two free throws herself with 
two seconds left to ice the victory and help the Hens improve to 4-0 for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Freshman guard Bailey Kargo contributed a career-high 14 points, Nicole Enabosi added 10 points, five rebounds, and three blocks, and Hannah Jardine knocked down three three-pointers and finished with nine points for Delaware.
“They're very talented,” Delaware coach Tina Martin said of the Tigers. “I think they're still trying to find themselves. They're going to break through and they're going to be right there for an Ivy League championship. That's why it's such a good win. They've played really good teams.. They are probably the best 0-4 team in the country."
Princeton (0-4), winners of five of the last seven Ivy League titles, got a big game from forward Leslie Robinson, who hit on 9 of 12 shots from the field and finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and from guard Vanessa Smith, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
"It's definitely a great feeling [to beat Princeton] as they've beaten us during my freshman and sophomore years," said Brown, who now has 28 points and 13 rebounds in her last two games after netting just nine points in the first two. "To win on our home floor as a senior against a great team – it's a great win. Our team is way different than last year. We play differently. Our freshmen are a big key. They knock down big shots and that boosts their confidence."
"We knew there was going to be swings, but we knew when we had it, we had to make sure we were under control and stick to our principles," said Kargo of a game that featured six ties and three lead changes. "I feel like having shooters on the team just spreads the floor. It's so much better. Inside game is very important as well, but when you have the ability to spread the floor, we have the opportunity to get it in to our posts easier. We're all coming together as freshman. We're getting this experience and it's so much more than anyone could have ever thought. Going in there and playing as hard as we can, getting to know the atmosphere and the pace of the game. Getting this experience is invaluable."
In addition to Jardine's three treys, Kargo and Brown also connected on two threes each as Delaware went 8 of 19 from beyond the arc. The eight treys were a season-high and most since draining nine at College of Charleston on Jan. 15, 2016.
Princeton, which shot just 38.5 percent from the field (25 of 59), was only 6 of 26 from beyond the arc and just 4 of 15 in the second half. The Tigers were also hurt by 17 turnovers.
The Tigers went up by as many as nine points in the first five minutes of the game before the Hens settled down and made a late run to pull to within 19-18 after one quarter. Princeton went back up by five midway through the second quarter before the Hens rallied again and narrowed the gap to 33-32 on the break thanks to a late Chatman layup.
Delaware took the lead for good late in the third quarter on a layup by Kargo with 1:31 left and increased the margin to as many as nine points at 56-47 early in the final stanza thanks to an 8-0 run that was highlighted by three-pointers from Jardine and Kargo.
Princeton chipped away at the lead and pulled to within 62-61 on a Kenya Holland three-pointer with 1:11 left. But Brown followed with her two free throws with 16 seconds left, and after the Tigers' Smith hit 1 of 2 from the line, Chatman sealed the deal with two from the line in the final seconds.
HEN SCRATCHINGS:
• Delaware is 4-0 for the first time since the 2011-12 team started out 10-0 on the way to a 31-2 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament second round
• The Hens have started 3-0 at home for the first time since that 2011-12 team went 12-0 at the BCC for the season
• Enabosi has now scored in double figures in all four games and
• The Hens are now 17-9 all-time vs. Princeton but snapped a two-game losing streak to the Tigers, including an 87-59 setback on Dec. 16, 2014
• Newark, Del. native Caroline Davis scored two points and pulled three rebounds in 12 minutes of action for Princeton
• Princeton's Robinson is the niece of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
• Delaware now heads to California to take part in the CSUN Tournament where the Hens will take on No. 22 ranked Michigan State in the first round on Nov. 25.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
