UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – The No. 4 seed Elon women's basketball team led for nearly 35 minutes of the game but was not able to hold on in the end as No. 5 seed Delaware knocked off the Phoenix, 57-50, today, March 10, in the CAA Championship quarterfinals in The Show Place Arena.
 
The Phoenix (18-12) finished 18-of-59 from the field to shoot 31 percent in the game, including 4-of-21 from three (19 percent), and went 10-of-19 from the line for a 53-percent mark. Elon won the slight advantage on the boards, 37-36, and saw 27 points from its bench.
 
Shay Burnett led the maroon and gold with 13 points and another team-high eight rebounds, while also handing out three assists. Lenaira Ruffin came off the bench for a season-high 11 points after a 4-of-9 performance from the field and six boards. Lauren Brown followed with nine points, while Jenifer Rhodes tallied seven points and seven boards.
 
The Blue Hens (16-14) claimed its first ever win over Elon after shooting 41 percent from the field, going 19-of-46. UD only hit one of its seven shots from beyond the arc but went 18-of-20 (90 percent) from the charity stripe. Delaware was led with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds from Nicole Enabosi, who finished 8-of-9 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. Courtni Green and Sade Chatman followed with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Highlights
After a 6-0 start for the Phoenix in the first period, a three by Burnett and two baskets by Rhodes extended the Elon advantage to 11, 15-4, at the 3:51 mark. The Blue Hens closed the gap to six before the maroon and gold finished the frame with an 18-11 lead.
 
A three by Nikki McDonald followed by a layup by Ruffin put the Phoenix up by 12, 23-11, early in the second period. UD answered with six straight, holding Elon scoreless for over five minutes before Rhodes hit a layup with 3:13 remaining. With under two minutes on the clock, Ruffin drained a three to return the Phoenix to a 12-point advantage, 29-17, as Elon held a 29-18 lead at the break.
 
The maroon and gold offense struggled to begin the second half before Brown hit a three at 4:34 mark to make it a 32-21 game. The Blue Hens managed to cut its deficit to five, 34-29, but both Burnett and Essence Baucom converted on trips to the line to return the Phoenix to a nine-point advantage, 38-29, with one period to play.
 
Delaware scored seven straight to start the fourth period, pulling within two, 38-36. With 7:01 to play, Ruffin converted an old-fashioned three-point play to return the Elon lead to five, 41-36. The Blue Hens managed an 11-4 run to claim its first lead of the game with 2:55 remaining. Burnett grabbed a defensive rebound and got the ball down the court to Ruffin for a fast-break layup to even the game for the third time with 2:04 left in the game. UD began to pull away as Elon was not able to convert offensively and was forced to foul. Delaware made all four of its chances at the line in the final 10 seconds to claim a 28-12 advantage in the final frame.
 
Next Up
Elon will wait to find out its post-season fate when selections are made and bids are handed out on Monday, March 14.