University of Delaware Athletics
2022-23 Delaware Women’s Basketball Year-In-Review
5/11/2023 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware women's basketball season closed out the 2022-23 campaign on Mar. 9, with a second-round appearance in the 2023 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women's Basketball Tournament. First-year head coach Sarah Jenkins and her flock of Blue Hens concluded the campaign with a 16-14 record, 9-9 mark in conference play, 7-7 in the friendly confines of Bob Carpenter Center, 8-5 mark away from Newark and 1-2 record on neutral grounds.
THE LEADERSHIP
Coach Jenkins returned to the sidelines and looked to the veteran leadership of Tara Cousins, Makayla Pippin and Jewel Smalls to take the reigns of the young squad.
Cousins stepped into her new role as team captain and starting point guard this season. The Washington, D.C. native has started in all 27 of her appearances and finished the season averaging 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Cousins has scored in double figures 13 times this season (longest streak: five games), including pouring in a season-high 15 points on two separate occasions; vs. VCU (Nov. 15) and at Lehigh (Dec. 18); while dishing out a career-best eight assists vs. American (Dec. 21). Cousins took home the CAA most prestigious honor in the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award, becoming the fourth-ever Blue Hen player to gain recognition from the league for her outstanding leadership on the court and in the classroom.
Smalls was also one of the team captains and was the lone Blue Hen that started in all 30 of her appearances. The Roswell, Ga. native finished the year averaging 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.and has scored in double figures 16 games this season (longest streak: four games). Smalls joined the elite 1,000-point club on Nov. 18 at Vermont and concluded her career totaling 1,261 points, 744 rebounds, 214 assists, 160 steals, 39 blocks and 14 double-doubles.
Pippin started in the Blue & Gold uniform 29 of her 30 appearances to finish the year averaging 10.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest. The Indianapolis, Ind. native led the team with five double-doubles on the season including putting together an 18-point and 18-rebound performance in the Blue Hens' B1G win over Illinois. Pippin closed out her collegiate career by totaling 401 points, 367 rebounds, 45 assists, 46 steals, 31 blocks and six double-doubles.
THE NEW SQUAD
Coach Jenkins also welcomed a recruiting class of seven to form a roster of 13 student-athletes who were very eager to make their contributions to the team and Kharis Idom, Nakiyah Mays-Prince and Klarke Sconiers did not disappoint.
Sconiers, a senior transfer from Minnesota made an impact in her first year in the Blue & Gold uniform. The Queens, N.Y. native started in 24 of her 28 appearances and averaged 12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Sconiers put together four 20+ point performances this season, headlined by a career-best performance of 29 points and tying her career-high 11 rebounds in Delaware's 79-67 road win at Lehigh. She scored in double figures in 20 games including pouring in 18 points in the Blue Hens' B1G win over Illinois (Nov. 26). Sconiers performance on the court earned her the right to call herself a third-team All-CAA selection and was tabbed CAA Player of the Week once during the regular season.
Idom, the fifth year transfer from UMass Lowell, also stood out in the Blue & Gold. Starting in 22 of her 24 appearances, the Orlando, Fla. native finished the year averaging 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Idom scored in double figures 12 times this season (longest streak: four games), including tying her season-high 18 points for the second time this season after shooting perfect from beyond the arc against NC A&T (4-4 3PT). Idom closed out her career tallying 1,241 points, 413 rebounds, 270 assists, 150 steals and 10 blocks.
The rookie in Mays-Prince made her presence known, starting in four of her 28 appearances at point. The Chicago, Ill. native finished the year averaging 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals per contest and scored in double figures nine times this season, including scoring a new career-best 14 points against Northeastern (Feb. 9). The floor general also dished out a career-best 11 assists vs. Hofstra (Dec. 30).
ON-THE-COURT BUSINESS
In their season opener on Nov. 7, the Blue Hens claimed the 82-62 road win over Longwood marking coach Jenkins first victory at the helm of the program.
The Blue Hens then captured a B1G victory over Illinois on Nov. 26 during the Daytona Beach Invitational, 83-80, their third win ove a Power 5 school in the last three seasons.
Delaware began conference play at home against Hofstra, pulling out a 77-65 win on Dec. 30. Mays-Prince had 11 assists in the game, the first double-digit assist game for Delaware since Abby Gonzales on Nov. 30, 2019.
Delaware swept a North Carolina road trip with wins over Elon and N.C. A&T in dramatic fashions. On Jan. 13, they overcame a 15-point deficit to down the Phoenix, 71-65. On Jan. 15, they tied a program record for most made three-pointers in a game with 12 and defeated the Aggies, 69-52, to snap their six-game win streak..
The Blue Hens' road dramatics continued at William & Mary on Jan. 29, as they held on to a 74-72 victory by virtue of a blocked shot by Pippin at the buzzer.
Delaware spread the wealth against Northeastern, as Cousins, Mays-Prince, Michelle Ojo, Demi Burdick, Smalls, and Rebecca Demeke all scored at least 10 points in a 77-67.
In a rout of UNCW on Feb. 10, Delaware scored a season-best 83 points to claim a 36-point win, with Pippin scoring 25 points.
The Blue Hens had a huge road win over a hot Stony Brook team on Feb. 24, holding on to a 53-51 win and holding the Seawolves to a season-low in points and field goal percentage.
The game of the year came in the home-finale on March 2. Delaware celebrated Education Day, and pulled out a thrilling overtime win to complete a season-sweep of N.C. A&T. Delaware overcame a 16-point deficit, their largest since Jan. 2, 2011, and won 79-75.
THE POSTSEASON
The Blue Hens secured the No. 8 seed in the 2023 CAA Women's Basketball Championship, presented by Primis and drew No. 9 seed Hampton in the second round. The Blue Hens saw the season come to a close after falling 78-67 to the Pirates.
THANK YOU SENIORS
The Blue Hens would like to thank their senior class for everything they have given to the program. Burdick, Idom, Pippin, Smalls, Mar Tejedor - thank you for giving our University so many outstanding memories!
BLUE HENS on SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the University of Delaware Women's Basketball, follow the Blue Hens via social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
THE LEADERSHIP
Coach Jenkins returned to the sidelines and looked to the veteran leadership of Tara Cousins, Makayla Pippin and Jewel Smalls to take the reigns of the young squad.
Cousins stepped into her new role as team captain and starting point guard this season. The Washington, D.C. native has started in all 27 of her appearances and finished the season averaging 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Cousins has scored in double figures 13 times this season (longest streak: five games), including pouring in a season-high 15 points on two separate occasions; vs. VCU (Nov. 15) and at Lehigh (Dec. 18); while dishing out a career-best eight assists vs. American (Dec. 21). Cousins took home the CAA most prestigious honor in the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award, becoming the fourth-ever Blue Hen player to gain recognition from the league for her outstanding leadership on the court and in the classroom.
Smalls was also one of the team captains and was the lone Blue Hen that started in all 30 of her appearances. The Roswell, Ga. native finished the year averaging 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.and has scored in double figures 16 games this season (longest streak: four games). Smalls joined the elite 1,000-point club on Nov. 18 at Vermont and concluded her career totaling 1,261 points, 744 rebounds, 214 assists, 160 steals, 39 blocks and 14 double-doubles.
Pippin started in the Blue & Gold uniform 29 of her 30 appearances to finish the year averaging 10.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest. The Indianapolis, Ind. native led the team with five double-doubles on the season including putting together an 18-point and 18-rebound performance in the Blue Hens' B1G win over Illinois. Pippin closed out her collegiate career by totaling 401 points, 367 rebounds, 45 assists, 46 steals, 31 blocks and six double-doubles.
THE NEW SQUAD
Coach Jenkins also welcomed a recruiting class of seven to form a roster of 13 student-athletes who were very eager to make their contributions to the team and Kharis Idom, Nakiyah Mays-Prince and Klarke Sconiers did not disappoint.
Sconiers, a senior transfer from Minnesota made an impact in her first year in the Blue & Gold uniform. The Queens, N.Y. native started in 24 of her 28 appearances and averaged 12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Sconiers put together four 20+ point performances this season, headlined by a career-best performance of 29 points and tying her career-high 11 rebounds in Delaware's 79-67 road win at Lehigh. She scored in double figures in 20 games including pouring in 18 points in the Blue Hens' B1G win over Illinois (Nov. 26). Sconiers performance on the court earned her the right to call herself a third-team All-CAA selection and was tabbed CAA Player of the Week once during the regular season.
Idom, the fifth year transfer from UMass Lowell, also stood out in the Blue & Gold. Starting in 22 of her 24 appearances, the Orlando, Fla. native finished the year averaging 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Idom scored in double figures 12 times this season (longest streak: four games), including tying her season-high 18 points for the second time this season after shooting perfect from beyond the arc against NC A&T (4-4 3PT). Idom closed out her career tallying 1,241 points, 413 rebounds, 270 assists, 150 steals and 10 blocks.
The rookie in Mays-Prince made her presence known, starting in four of her 28 appearances at point. The Chicago, Ill. native finished the year averaging 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals per contest and scored in double figures nine times this season, including scoring a new career-best 14 points against Northeastern (Feb. 9). The floor general also dished out a career-best 11 assists vs. Hofstra (Dec. 30).
ON-THE-COURT BUSINESS
In their season opener on Nov. 7, the Blue Hens claimed the 82-62 road win over Longwood marking coach Jenkins first victory at the helm of the program.
The Blue Hens then captured a B1G victory over Illinois on Nov. 26 during the Daytona Beach Invitational, 83-80, their third win ove a Power 5 school in the last three seasons.
Delaware began conference play at home against Hofstra, pulling out a 77-65 win on Dec. 30. Mays-Prince had 11 assists in the game, the first double-digit assist game for Delaware since Abby Gonzales on Nov. 30, 2019.
Delaware swept a North Carolina road trip with wins over Elon and N.C. A&T in dramatic fashions. On Jan. 13, they overcame a 15-point deficit to down the Phoenix, 71-65. On Jan. 15, they tied a program record for most made three-pointers in a game with 12 and defeated the Aggies, 69-52, to snap their six-game win streak..
The Blue Hens' road dramatics continued at William & Mary on Jan. 29, as they held on to a 74-72 victory by virtue of a blocked shot by Pippin at the buzzer.
Delaware spread the wealth against Northeastern, as Cousins, Mays-Prince, Michelle Ojo, Demi Burdick, Smalls, and Rebecca Demeke all scored at least 10 points in a 77-67.
In a rout of UNCW on Feb. 10, Delaware scored a season-best 83 points to claim a 36-point win, with Pippin scoring 25 points.
The Blue Hens had a huge road win over a hot Stony Brook team on Feb. 24, holding on to a 53-51 win and holding the Seawolves to a season-low in points and field goal percentage.
The game of the year came in the home-finale on March 2. Delaware celebrated Education Day, and pulled out a thrilling overtime win to complete a season-sweep of N.C. A&T. Delaware overcame a 16-point deficit, their largest since Jan. 2, 2011, and won 79-75.
THE POSTSEASON
The Blue Hens secured the No. 8 seed in the 2023 CAA Women's Basketball Championship, presented by Primis and drew No. 9 seed Hampton in the second round. The Blue Hens saw the season come to a close after falling 78-67 to the Pirates.
THANK YOU SENIORS
The Blue Hens would like to thank their senior class for everything they have given to the program. Burdick, Idom, Pippin, Smalls, Mar Tejedor - thank you for giving our University so many outstanding memories!
BLUE HENS on SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the University of Delaware Women's Basketball, follow the Blue Hens via social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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