ORANGEBURG, SC --The Delaware State women's basketball team got a 40-point performance from the bench, but fell 69-61 to the South Carolina State Bulldogs on the road Saturday.
The Hornets (6-16, 2-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Deyonce Thompson, who had 20 points and six rebounds. Kiarra Mcelrath added 11 points and two blocks from the bench and Kaitlyn Parker added nine points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Led by McKenzie Stewart's seven offensive rebounds, Delaware State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 19 boards that resulted in 12 second chance points.
Delaware State did a great job disrupting South Carolina State shots in the contest, coming away with eight blocks. Parker's two rejections led the way individually for the Hornets.
How It Happened
Delaware State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 18-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Hornets continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 39-28 halftime deficit.
South Carolina State continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 50-37 advantage before Delaware State went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a three from Kiarra McElrath, to trim its deficit to 50-44 with 2:15 to go in the third. South Carolina State countered and stretched its lead to 52-44 heading into the fourth. Delaware State took advantage of 13 South Carolina State turnovers in the quarter, scoring 11 points off of takeaways.
Delaware State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 69-61.
The Delaware State bench made an impact by adding 40 points to its scoring output. The Delaware State defense forced 20 turnovers. The Hornets were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying eight blocks as a team. Delaware State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 19 offensive boards in the game.
Up Next...
The Hornets return to action Monday, February 26 when they travel to North Carolina Central University in continued MEAC Conference play. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
