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UPPER MARLBORO, MD- The Elon University women's basketball team lost to the University of Delaware Blue Hens in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship on Thursday afternoon by a score of 57-50.
Elon closed the first three periods with an advantage on the scoreboard, but faltered in the contest's closing minutes. Delaware, seeded fifth, only held a lead for two minutes and 48 seconds during the game, but that was enough to secure the victory.
"We settled for too many outside shots and weren't aggressive [enough] in terms of getting the ball inside and driving," said head coach Charlotte Smith in a postgame interview. "We just didn't shoot the ball well, and I think it came back to haunt us today."
The Phoenix, seeded fourth in the tournament, had two players with double-digit scoring totals. Sophomore Shay Burnett scored 13 and added eight rebounds. Junior Lenaira Ruffin, who played 20 minutes off the bench, notched a season high 18 points. Junior Jenifer Rhodes made an impact as well, accumulating seven points and seven rebounds.
"I felt like we weren't rebounding like we were in the first half," said Burnett, "and they were fighting and getting loose balls. They were just out-hustling us. Period."
Delaware's victory was largely in part to a 39-point second half, where Elon's 21 points were not enough to keep up. The Blue Hens' highest scoring total belonged to freshman Nicole Enabosi, whose 17 points primarily came from within the paint.
Following the conclusion of the contest, Smith commended her team's efforts and said that she was hopeful that Elon will receive an invitation to either the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) or the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) based on their strong nonconference play this season.