Blue Hens

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Joe Flacco threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, helping No. 13 Delaware edge fourth-ranked Southern Illinois, 20-17, yesterday to advance to the Football Championship Subdivision title game. Omar Cuff ran for 102 yards on 21 carries for the Blue Hens (11-3), snapping the Salukis' six-game winning streak. Delaware plays Appalachian State (12-2) Friday for the championship. Jon Striefsky had two field goals for Delaware, the first a 47-yarder that extended the lead to 17-10 with 10:09 left.

Angel Goodrich scored 27 points to lead 11th-seeded Kansas past third-seeded Delaware and the nation's leading scorer, Elena Delle Donne, with a 70-64 win Tuesday night. The win moves the Jayhawks (21-12) to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998. They did so by rallying in the second half behind Goodrich, who fell one short of her career high in scorings. The junior was 12 of 21 from the field, 3 of 6 on 3-pointers, and also added six assists.

Elena Delle Donne scored 22 points to lead four Delaware players in double figures and the No. 12 Blue Hens defeated Virginia Commonwealth 68-49 on Sunday. Delle Donne had 12 rebounds also for the Blue Hens (20-1, 11-0 Colonial Athletic Association), who have won 10 straight after their only blemish of the season against Maryland. Danielle Parker had 16 points, Akeema Richards 12, and Lauren Carra 11 for the Blue Hens. Courtney Hurt scored 19 points and Andrea Barbour added 17 for the Rams (13-9, 6-5)

Arkansas-Little Rock knew what to expect in the NCAA tournament in its third consecutive appearance. The Trojans, however, had never seen anything quite like Delaware's Elena Delle Donne. Delle Donne, the nation's leading scorer, had 39 points and 11 rebounds to lift third-seeded Delaware to a 73-42 win Sunday over 14th-seeded UALR in the Little Rock Regional. The Trojans (20-13) won a first-round game against Georgia Tech two years ago before falling in the second, and they lost in the first round as a No. 12 seed last season.

Elena Delle Donne scored 29 points to lead No. 19 Delaware to a 68-47 victory over Providence on Monday night. The Blue Hens (9-0) remained unbeaten and are off to the best start in the 41-year history of the program. Delle Donne, who leads the nation in scoring, made 9 of her 13 shots and only missed one of her 10 free throw attempts. Trailing 16-14, Delaware scored 22 of the next 28 points to take a 36-22 lead at the half. Delle Donne scored nine points during the run and then added 10 early in the second half as the Blue Hens put the game away.

Elena Delle Donne had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 7 Delaware used a strong second half to beat Drexel 59-43 on Sunday to claim its first Colonial Athletic Association championship. Delaware (30-1) will bring a 20-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. The Blue Hens led 20-16 at halftime before pulling away behind Delle Donne, a 6-foot-5 junior who managed only eight points on 4-for-12 shooting in the first half. Delle Donne, the nation's leading scorer, finished 10 for 21 from the field and made all six of her free throws.

Elena Delle Donne made the most of her first NCAA tournament appearance on Sunday. Delle Donne had 39 points and 11 rebounds to lift third-seeded Delaware to a 73-42 win over 14th-seeded Arkansas-Little Rock in the Little Rock Regional. The Blue Hens (31-1) earned their first victory in three NCAA tournament games and ran their winning streak to 21 in a row. Delle Donne, the nation's leading scorer at 27.5 points per game, was making her first NCAA appearance after leading Delaware to the WNIT the past two seasons.

Elena Delle Donne scored 23 points to lead No. 20 Delaware to a 69-37 win over UNC-Wilmington on Thursday night. Delle Donne, the country's leading scorer at 30.3 points per game, had 14 points in the first half as the Blue Hens (13-1 overall, 4-0 Colonial Athletic Association) built a 36-20 lead by intermission. Delle Donne has scored 100 points in Delaware's three-game winning streak. The 6-foot-5 junior hit 10 of 21 shots from the floor. She also had five assists, five rebounds and three steals in 26 minutes.

Darryl Partin scored 27 points and Boston University rallied to beat Delaware 73-67 on Wednesday night. The Terriers (3-4) led 67-64 with 1:01 left after Delaware's Jamelle Hagins scored on a tip-in. The Terriers then outscored the Blue Hens 6-1 to go up 73-65 on Darryl Partin's layup with 7 seconds left. Boston, which trailed 38-37 at halftime, was behind 57-52 before going on an 11-1 run to lead 63-58 on Zach Chionuma's layup with 3:46 to go. The Terriers scored 16 points off 11 turnovers, and held the Blue Hens to seven total assists, and 28.6 percent...

Elena Delle Donne scored 23 points and No. 15 Delaware rallied from a seven-point deficit to beat James Madison 72-65 on Sunday night. The Blue Hens (18-1, 9-0 Colonial Athletic Association) made 33 of 37 free throws and snapped a nine-game losing streak to James Madison, which beat them in the 2011 CAA championship game. Lauren Carra added a season-high 22 points for Delaware, which trailed 58-51 with 7 ½ left in the game. Delle Donne scored the next five points and the Blue Hens went on an 11-3 run over the next 3 minutes.

For about a week, Florida guard Jordan Jones listened to the chatter about how Ohio State felt insulted by the selection committee. It was as if the Gators - who were playing the Buckeyes in the first round - were an afterthought. "All week long we heard Ohio State this, Ohio State that, their guards average this, their post players do that," Jones said. "I know Ohio State talked a lot about being disrespected, but we felt disrespected, too. I don't think anyone knew how good our defense was. " Quick on the perimeter and relentless on the boards, the ninth-seeded Gators were a step...

Elena Delle Donne made the most of her first NCAA tournament appearance on Sunday. Delle Donne had 39 points and 11 rebounds to lift third-seeded Delaware to a 73-42 win over 14th-seeded Arkansas-Little Rock in the Little Rock Regional. The Blue Hens (31-1) earned their first victory in three NCAA tournament games and ran their winning streak to 21 in a row. Delle Donne, the nation's leading scorer at 27.5 points per game, was making her first NCAA appearance after leading Delaware to the WNIT the past two seasons.

Brittney Griner and the Baylor Lady Bears have one goal this season — a national championship. Anything less would be a disappointment for the undefeated top-seeded Lady Bears, who are looking to become the seventh school to run through a season unbeaten. Standing in the way could be the other No. 1 seeds — Stanford, Connecticut and Notre Dame, dominant all season long. The Huskies and Irish both lost competitive games at Baylor this season. Griner and Baylor, who lost in the regional final last season, could be the first team ever to win 40...

Elena Delle Donne had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 7 Delaware used a strong second half to beat Drexel 59-43 on Sunday to claim its first Colonial Athletic Association championship. Delaware (30-1) will bring a 20-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. The Blue Hens led 20-16 at halftime before pulling away behind Delle Donne, a 6-foot-5 junior who managed only eight points on 4-for-12 shooting in the first half. Delle Donne, the nation's leading scorer, finished 10 for 21 from the field and made all six of her free throws.

After sticking with No. 7 Delaware for the opening 20 minutes, Drexel appeared capable of pulling off a huge upset in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship game. Unfortunately for the Dragons, the cold shooting they displayed before halftime carried into the second half. Not so for Delaware. Elena Delle Donne had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the Blue Hens used a strong second half to earn a 59-43 victory Sunday and its first CAA title. Despite making only seven field goals in the first half, Drexel trailed only 20-16.

Nearly every shot Brittney Griner put up before the game clanked off the rim, and the phenom for No. 1 Baylor was justifiably concerned. "I kept hitting them short," she said, "and I thought, ‘Oh, I hope this isn't a sign.' " If it was any kind of sign, it was certainly a good one. Griner set a Big 12 tournament record with a career-high 45 points, and had 10 rebounds and 7 blocks in the Lady Bears' 86-65 rout of Kansas State...

Elena Delle Donne had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 9 Delaware coasted past George Mason 71-53 on Thursday night to stretch its winning streak to 15. The Blue Hens (25-1, 16-0 Colonial Athletic Association) scored the game's first six points and never trailed. Delle Donne outscored George Mason 22-21 in the first half and finished 9 for 16 from the field, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc, and went 7 for 8 at the foul line. It was a redemptive performance for the 6-foot-5 junior, who tallied a season-low 12 points on 4-for-19 shooting in a 40-39 win over Drexel on Sunday.

Delaware coach Tina Martin was a bit concerned when she noticed how quiet her players were Saturday before the seventh-ranked Blue Hens faced UNC Wilmington in the semifinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. In an effort to lighten the mood, Martin told a joke about cooking tacos. "Maybe three people laughed," Martin said. "I was like, 'Uh oh. "' It didn't take long for Martin to realize there was nothing to worry about. Delaware limited the Seahawks to 14 percent shooting in the decisive first half and stormed into the CAA title game with a 66-39 blowout win. ...