Maryland defeats Delaware in Elena Delle Donne's return
In what looked to be a matchup of ranked teams before the season started, Delaware gets another shot at Maryland, this time on their home court as they hope to exact revenge for last year's 85-76 loss in College Park. Elena Delle Donne, who has missed all but one game this season due to Lyme disease, is expected to play.
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Elena Delle Donne returned and scored a game-high 19, but the Terps got key contributions from Alyssa Thomas, Tianna Hawkins and Katie Rutan to overpower the Blue Hens.
Junior guard Alyssa Thomas and senior forward Tianna Hawkins led the 8th ranked Terrapins over the Blue Hens with a combined 29 points, 29 rebounds, and six assists. For Delaware, star forward Elena Delle Donne made her return to the court after suffering symptoms of Lyme Disease who scored 19 points, but only on 7 of 23 shooting.
Even though there was a record crowd for the Blue Hens in Newark, the Terps fanbase travels very well. The DC BasketCases, both of whom are both huge UMD basketball fans had this to add:
We know there was a bus-load of Rebounders [the UMD women's basketball booster organization] and a whole lot of other Maryland fans who traveled to Newark for tonight's game. A 16-point win should make that drive back down I-95 a whole lot more pleasant. Maybe when they get home, they can add a few words, since we saw and heard so little of this one. We know it ended well for Maryland, however, and that's the most important thing.
For the Terps, this was a game that they should have won. For the Hens, though Delle Donne did help them get to within three points near the midway point of the 2nd half, this loss does drop them to 5-3, but they do have another match at home this Saturday afternoon vs. Monmouth before Christmas day to get the bad taste of a loss out of their mouths.
Star forward Elena Delle Donne is expected to be back in the lineup for the Delaware Blue Hens tonight against the Maryland Terrapins after missing all but one game so far this season, according to a report by Kevin Tresolini of The News Journal.
The best medicine, Elena Delle Donne suggested Wednesday, may be a heavy dose of competitive basketball tonight...Delle Donne has been blue herself of late. She has battled flu-like symptoms caused by the vestiges of Lyme Disease, but plans to play just her second game this season and first since Nov. 20 tonight.
The Delaware athletics site is showing that Delle Donne's return to action will be in front of a sell out crowd, which is hoping for a win to avenge a loss last year.
In last season's meeting in College Park, Delle Donne had game-highs of 32 points, 3 blocks, and 3 steals in 40 minutes of action.
In what looked to be a matchup of ranked teams before the season started, Delaware gets another shot at Maryland, this time on their home court as they hope to exact revenge for last year's 85-76 loss in College Park. However, the Blue Hens may be attempting to win the biggest game on their schedule and secure the program's first-ever victory over Maryland without their star, Elena Delle Donne, who is listed as day to day as she continues to battle Lyme disease.
