(Dover, Del.) – Despite playing without its leading scorer (20.7 ppg) and rebounder (10.2 rpg), forward Tierra Hawkins (shoulder), the Delaware State women's basketball team (5-13, 0-6 MEAC) ousted crosstown foe Wesley (4-13, 1-7 CAC) at home, 79-37, behind four Lady Hornets players tallying double figures in the scoring column.
With this win, the Lady Hornets snapped a four-game skid, while the Wolverines concluded their four-game road swing at 1-3.
Down 9-8 in the first half at the 14:06 mark, Delaware State opened the game up by scoring 16 unanswered points, capped off by guard Jade Washington finding guard/forward Deanna Harmon for a layup. During this stretch, Harmon and guard Raven Bankston scored eight points each.
Later in the period, Wesley managed to get the deficit under nine (24-15) with 6:01 left before the break, but the Lady Hornets closed the half on a 16-2 run to take a 40-17 lead into the locker room.
At intermission, Harmon (5-of-8) and Bankston (8-of-14) carried the load offensively by totaling 17 points each, while Harmon went a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe, collected four steals and led all players with nine rebounds. Washington, meanwhile, came within one assist shy of matching a career-high with seven. As a team, the Lady Hornets shot 53 percent (16-of-30) and converted 20 Wesley turnovers into 22 points.
To start the second stanza, Delaware State continued its strong play and managed to make it a 54-23 ball game, after forward Tylinn Carter drained a deuce to give her squad its biggest lead of the night.
The rest of the way, the Wolverines never got within 30 as the Lady Hornets held on for their largest margin of victory this season.
When the final buzzer sounded, Harmon recorded 19 points (5-of-9) and pulled down career-high 14 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, to go along with a game-high five steals. Bankston, on the other hand, led all scorers with 28 points (13-of-21), which tied a career-high, whereas starter Mi'Queara Lewis tallied career-highs in points (10) and rebounds (9) for DSU down low. Off the bench, Carter scored a career-high 13 points (5-of-8) and tied a career-high in rebounds (9) despite playing just 13 minutes, in what was her first game back after missing the previous two.
Assist wise, Washington not only set a career-high with 12, but it also matched a team single-game record.
Collectively, Delaware State shot 47 percent (30-of-64) with 42 points coming off 32 Wesley turnovers. In addition to the Lady Hornets' strong defensive effort, Wesley's 37 points and 14 made field goals were season-lows for Delaware State.
Coming up, DSU will hop back into conference action when it travels to Baltimore, Md. to face the Morgan State Bears on Saturday (2 p.m.), followed by Coppin State on Monday (5:30 p.m.).
