Hens lead by one after one-quarter of play
The first six minutes of the opening quarter were intense, which would be a pattern for the rest of the game. Delaware would hold the lead during those six minutes, not by much but with a one-point advantage (10-9) with 4:08 left in the first quarter. The trio of Jasmine Dickey, Ty Battle, and Tyi Skinner would score all the Hens ten points during those six minutes.
The Blue Hens would get some breathing room in the next minute as the team hit back-to-back layups to push their lead to 14-9 with 3:23 left in the first quarter. Senior guard Tee Johnson scored two of the four points and had a steal on that run.
Seconds later, the Wildcats would go on a 7-2 run which would tie the game at 16 with 1:15 left in the first quarter.
The Hens would outscore Villanova 2-1 in the final seconds of the first quarter to hold an 18-17 lead.
Blue Hens down by one at the end of the first half
The second quarter opened up, with the Wildcats scoring seven straight points to take a 26-18 lead with 7:42 left in the first half.
Delaware would respond with a 12-3 run of their own, which gave the team a 30-29 lead with 2:17 left in the second quarter. The three-point shot was a key factor on this run, as Tyi Skinner and Tee Johnson each made one.
The last bucket of the half would come from the Wildcats, which gave the team a 31-30 lead.
Delaware leads by two after three-quarters of play
The second half of the game started with Villanova outscoring the Blue Hens 12-8, which pushed the team’s lead to 43-38 with 6:12 left in the third quarter.
The Hens would answer back with a 9-2 run of their own, which gave them a 47-45 lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter. The leader of this run was Jasmine Dickey, who scored five of the nine points.
Rebounding was also a key factor on the run as Delaware collected five rebounds.
Seconds later, the Wildcats would make a three-pointer to take a 48-47 lead with 3:07 left in the third quarter.
About a minute later, the Blue Hens would take a one-point lead (49-48), with sophomore forward Brynn Wade making two shots from the foul line.
In the remaining minute left in the third quarter, the Hens would outscore Villanova 3-2 to take a 52-50 lead.
Delaware wins by seven
In the first two minutes of the final quarter, the Wildcats would outscore the Blue Hens 5-1, which gave them a 55-53 lead with 8:01 left in the game.
Seconds later, Delaware would tie the game at 55, with Tyi Skinner hitting a jump shot.
The following four minutes, the Hens would fly out on a 10-3 run, which would give them a 65-58 lead with 3:41 left in the game. Ty Battle led the scoring on this run as she scored four of the ten points.
In the remaining minutes of the fourth quarter, the free-throw line was crucial for Blue Hens, and the team delivered there as they hit eight of their nine shots from the line. The Hens would also add two more buckets which gave them a 77-70 win over Villanova and crowned them the WNIT Charlotte Region Champions.
Stats:
FG%: 38.8 %& NOVA41.8 %
3P%: UD25.0 %&NOVA21.7 %
FT%: UD81.5 %&NOVA79.2 %
Rebs: UD 38&NOVA 37
Ast: UD7&NOVA13
Stl: UD6&NOVA5
TO: UD 8&NOVA14
Blks: UD 2&NOVA3
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