How good is the University of Delaware women's basketball team playing right now? The Hens went on the road to face an 11-3 Old Dominion team, didn't play all that well and still managed to escape Norfolk with a 17-point victory.
Don't take my word for it. Here is what head coach Tina Martin said about her team's performance after the game.
"We certainly didn't play our best today," Martin said moments after her team's 63-46 win had ended. "We were sloppy and struggled to execute offensively. It wasn't a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination, but you never complain about a league-win on the road."
The victory was Delaware's 23rd straight against CAA competition. Ironically enough, it was a show of dominance in the league against the team which used to personify power in the CAA.
Old Dominion won the first 23 CAA women's basketball tournaments. But as the Lady Monarchs' grip on control of the conference has relinquished, Delaware has been the school more than any other to fill the void.
Sunday's win was a different kind of strength on display from the Hens. Delaware out-rebounded ODU 59-35. The Hens also stifled yet another opponent, holding the Lady Monarchs to just 27 percent shooting from the field.
Overwhelming performances on defense and the glass allowed UD to overcome a helter-skelter afternoon on offense. Delaware endured extended stretches where it could not run its half-court offense with any efficiency. They were bailed out by Elena Delle Donne's 27 points and 12 second-half points from Akeema Richards.
If the defense and rebounding didn't propel the Hens to victory though, the CAA winning streak would have likely come to an end. The ability to win games decisively, even when playing at well below its peak, is what separates this Delaware team from last year's group. Last season's squad only had to endure one or two rough shooting nights, and fortunately for the Hens, Delle Donne was able to overcome both of them with late heroics. This year's team does not necessarily need their All-American to don the Superman cape to get through subpar play.
Delaware is a gritty group, led by a blue-collar bunch of seniors that have completely bought into how they have to play to be successful in games like Sunday at ODU. If they continue that approach, the conference-winning streak will continue as well, because at its best no one in the CAA can beat the Hens. Now, after teams saw what the Hens did on Sunday when they were struggling, opponents are going to have to wonder how they can possibly top Delaware moving forward.
