The winning tradition continues under University of Delaware women’s basketball Head Coach Tina Martin, whose team was on the march to another 20-win season as of late January.

Martin, who is in her ninth season as UD head coach, has led the Fightin’ Blue Hens to five straight seasons in which the team has amassed 19 or more victories. She has posted a remarkable record of 111-39 over that span, and the team has reached the postseason three times in the last four years.

UD has been a contender in the Colonial Athletic Association for several seasons and this year continues its push to knock perennial champion Old Dominion University, which has won the conference title 13 consecutive times, off its lofty perch.

The Hens took a step in the right direction by defeating Old Dominion 73-70 on Jan. 9 at the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, Va., snapping the Monarchs’ 122-game home winning streak against CAA opponents. That victory and a long winning streak earned the Hens enough notice that they have received votes in the USA Today/ESPN top 25 poll.

“We were looking to build on the success we saw last year,” Martin, who led the 2003-04 team to a record of 19-10 and a berth in the conference championship tournament semifinals, says. “While we were disappointed not to get to the 20-win plateau, I think that it made them hungry for this year. We were a solid team last year and have almost everyone back, so we just want to build on that success. We have a lot of depth and we expect to have a lot of great battles at every position. If we stay healthy, we should challenge for the CAA title.”

UD lost just one regular from last year’s team with the graduation of Tracey Howell, who averaged 5.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Importantly, the Hens returned several key veterans, including senior forward Tiara Malcom, a two-time All-

CAA selection and the conference’s 2004-05 preseason choice as player of the year.

Through January, Malcom did not disappoint, averaging about 16.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In addition, she had been named the CAA Player of the Week on multiple occasions.

“Tiara Malcom is our rock to build around,” Martin says. “She is a solid leader in more ways than just her scoring. She’s been solid her entire career and that needs to continue for us to be successful.”

Joining Malcom are seniors Julie Sailer and Tiffany Young. Sailer averaged 9.6 points per game last season and was a second team College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) District II All-Academic selection. Young, a forward, enjoyed a breakout season in 2003-04 as she scored 10.8 points and had 6.8 rebounds per game, and also had 51 steals.

“Senior leadership is a huge key to this season,” Martin says. “Tiara, Tiffany and Julie need to be a big part of things both on and off the court. How they perform and if they step up can really help us and be a big part of our success.”

Through the early part of the season, UD also was getting strong play from its younger players, particularly in the backcourt.

Sophomore Tyresa Smith was one of the team’s most improved players a year ago after averaging 7.8 points per game and wreaking havoc on opponents as she recorded a team-high 76 steals in just 22.8 minutes per game. She continues to be a force this season, averaging about 12 points per game.

Sophomore guards Alena Koshansky and Liz Hayes, who had strong seasons as freshmen, continue to impress. Koshansky is averaging about eight points per game and Hayes is averaging about three points per game.

Junior Amanda Blackstone also has stepped up for the Hens, averaging about 4.5 points per game, and freshman Melissa Czorniewy is averaging about 3.5 points per game.