Women’s basketball marks another successful season

The University of Delaware women’s basketball team celebrated a continuing run of excellence in 2005-06 by going 22-8, winning a holiday tournament championship, reaching the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association championship tournament and earning a bid to the postseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).

It was the sixth time in the last seven seasons that Head Coach Tina Martin’s Fightin’ Blue Hens have reached the 20-win mark. The only time during that period they missed 20 wins was in 2003-04, when they won 19 games. The Hens have competed in postseason play in five of the last six seasons.

UD junior guard Tyresa Smith was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and also earned a spot on the first team All-Conference team, and junior point guard Alena Koshansky was named to the CAA All-Academic Team.

Stingy defense and timely shooting carried the Hens to a 13-5 conference record and the semifinals of the CAA championship tournament, where they were knocked out by James Madison University 61-59 on a last-second shot.

“I am so proud of my girls and how they represented our University,” Martin said after that game. “I’ve won games like this and lost games like this, but this will make us build character and we will be back. These kids gave their heart and soul to the coaching staff, and I am very proud of them.”

During the regular season, the Hens nearly upset 15-time CAA champion Old Dominion University before 3,014 fans at the Bob Carpenter Center before falling 60-57.

Among the key accomplishments for the 2005-06 Hens was a championship in the holiday season’s St. Joseph’s University tournament, where they defeated nationally ranked Bowling Green State University 48-44 and the host Hawks 49-48 in the title game.

They played a strong University of Pittsburgh team in the opening round of the WNIT, eventually falling to the host team 64-57.

“We just have to go back to the drawing board, work hard, and hopefully we’ll be in the NCAA tournament ourselves next year,” Martin says.

Martin will return a strong nucleus for the 2006-07 season, when the Hens will serve as host of the CAA women’s championship tournament. Back will be Smith, Koshansky, guard Melissa Czorniewy and forwards Chrissy Fisher and Courtney Irving. Joining them will be transfer guards Kyle DeHaven of the College of William & Mary and Jamie Mundy of Georgetown University and forward Kristina Gineitis of George Washington University.