NEWARK, DE -- Freshman guard Tesia Harris (at right) exploded for a career-high 21 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer with just six seconds left to play to lead the University of Delaware women’s basketball squad to a 54-53 Colonial Athletic Association victory Sunday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware (7-18, 6-7 CAA), which avenged a 59-56 loss to Hofstra back on Jan. 31 in Hempstead, NY, snapped a two-game losing streak as Harris led the way and fellow freshman Ariene Jenkins added 14 points, thanks to 8 of 8 shooting from the foul line, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots.

The Blue Hens led by as much 18 points in the first half before squandering the lead early in the second half when Hofstra scored 14 of the first 19 points of the stanza. Delaware trailed by four points with less than two minutes to play before Harris scored five points in the final 1:07 to send the Hens to the victory.

Harris, a native of Dix Hills, NY (Half Hollow Hills West High School), scored the most points by a Delaware freshman since Julie Sailer also netted 21 vs. LaSalle in an 83-66 victory Dec. 18, 2001.

Hofstra (4-20, 2-11 CAA), which lost for the fifth straight time since defeating Delaware last month, got a big effort from sophomore guard Sam Brigham, who scored a career-high 20 points, drained four three-pointers, and pulled eight rebounds. Natty Fripp came off the bench to add eight points but no other Pride player scored more than six.

Delaware, which overcame 33.3 percent shooting from the field (19 of 57), held a 41-33 edge on the boards and continued its mastery of Hofstra at home. The Blue Hens have now defeated Hofstra in all 24 meetings in Newark, including a perfect 14-0 mark in games at the Bob Carpenter Center.

"This was a great win for our ballclub and a big shot by Tesia Harris," said Delaware head coach Tina Martin. "I thought we executed offensively better than we have at any time over the last two weeks. Our freshmen got major minutes down and stretch and gave us as glimpse of the future. It looks promising."

Hofstra took a 5-4 lead less than two minutes into the game, but went cold from there, missing on 2 of its next 16 shots from the field as the Blue Hens took off on a 25-6 run that resulted in a 29-11 lead with 4:59 left in the half. The Pride then scored the final 10 points of the half to pull to within 29-21 at the break and grabbed the lead at 35-34 when Niki Williams connected on a three-pointer with 14:30 left in the game.

Four ties and three lead changes followed before Brigham put Hofstra up 50-47 with 2:20 left on a three-pointer. Delaware’s Sha’Ron Harrison countered with a layup to cut the lead to 50-49 with two minutes left before the Pride struck again with a three-pointer by Candice Bellocchio with 1:25 remaining to up the lead to 53-49.

But Harris took over for the Hens, hitting a jumper with 1:07 left to cut the lead to 53-51. Hofstra had the chance to build on the lead but Kristina Campbell missed a jumper and Jenkins rebounded for Delaware with 32 seconds remaining.

After a Delaware timeout, Vanessa Kabongo fed Harris on the left wing and the freshman drained the three-pointer with six seconds left to play. Brigham’s off balance shot just before the final buzzer was off the mark, giving the Hens the victory.

Boxscore