NEWARK, DE (November 9, 2007) -- Senior Kyle DeHaven (at right) scored 19 of her career-high 24 points in the second half, dished out six assists, and recorded six steals as the University of Delaware women’s basketball team opened the 2007-08 season with a 54-47 victory over in-state rival Delaware State in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Friday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The game, the first between the state’s only NCAA Division I teams since the 2000-01 season, matched two teams coming off NCAA Tournament appearances a year ago. The win sends Delaware (1-0) to the winner’s bracket of the tournament where it will face fourth-ranked Maryland (1-0), a first round winner over Princeton Friday, Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at College Park, MD.

Delaware State (0-1) moves to the loser’s bracket and will continue action in the tournament next weekend at a site to be determined. The Hornets captured the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title a year ago when they went 20-13.

Delaware, which is now 11-1 in home openers under head coach Tina Martin, extended its non-conference regular season home winning streak to 15 games since November, 2003. The Hens are now 9-0 all-time vs. Delaware State, including a 60-46 win in the last meeting Jan. 3, 2001.

DeHaven, a part-time starter for Delaware a year ago and a pre-season second team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, hit on 5 of 11 shots from the field and converted 12 of 13 shots from the foul line to lead the Blue Hen effort. Delaware overcame 36.4 shooting from the field (16 of 44) and a 44-34 rebounding deficit to post the victory. Delaware State shot just 27.1 percent from the field (16 of 59) and turned the ball over 24 times.

“We have a long way to go,” said Martin, whose team went 26-6 a year ago and advanced to the post-season for the third straight year. “But I”m proud of the kids because they played with heart. Kyle really showed her leadership tonight and that was a big difference in the ballgame.”

Delaware senior Jamie Mundy was the only other UD player in double figures as she netted a career-high 10 points while sophomore forward Sha’Ron Harrison scored seven points and pulled a career-high 12 points - matching her total for the entire season a year ago.

Delaware State got a team-high 18 points and 13 rebounds from forward Katreem Palmer but guard Raquel Collier was held to just eight points on 2 of 16 shooting from the field. The Hornets also hit just 4 of 19 three-pointers for the game.

Neither team shot better than 31 percent and two squads combined for 22 turnovers in a sluggish first half that saw Delaware State take a 26-22 lead into intermission thanks to a 5-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Palmer with just two seconds left in the stanza.

But Delaware jumped out to a quick start in the second half and never looked back. The Hens outscored the Hornets 8-1 over the first five minutes of the second half, taking the lead for good at 30-27 after a steal and layup by DeHaven with 15:17 remaining. Delaware State didn’t convert its first field goal until Palmer hit a layup with 13:34 remaining to cut the lead to 30-29.

Delaware followed with a 5-0 run, including a three-point play by DeHaven with 12 minutes left, to take a 35-29 lead. Delaware State’s Jameka Smith scored with 10:15 left to cut the margin to 35-33, but Delaware answered with a 6-0 run and never led by less than four points the rest of the way. The Hens led by as much as 11 points at 50-39 with 4:13 remaining and never led by less than six the rest of the way.

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