NCAA scoring leader Elena Delle Donne scored 22 points Wednesday as No. 19 Delaware remained undefeated with a 60-40 win over East Carolina in the first round of the Terrapin Classic.
Delaware (10-0) will face fifth-ranked Maryland (12-0), the tournament host, in Thursday's final. East Carolina (6-5) will face Lafayette in the consolation game.
Averaging 29.3 points per game, Delle Donne finished below her season average but became just the third player in Delaware history to reach 1,600 points. She now has 1,616 points.
Delle Donne also pulled down nine rebounds and blocked three shots. Danielle Parker added 10 rebounds and eight points as Delaware outrebounded the Pirates 55-34, including a 38-4 edge on East Carolina's boards.
Akeema Richards added 10 points for Delaware.
East Carolina was led by Katie Paschal with eight points and Britny Edwards with six points and nine rebounds. Shala Hodges, the Pirates' leading scorer for the season, scored just two points.
Delaware shot only 35.3 percent (24 for 68), but the rebound advantage gave the Blue Hens 18 more shots than the Pirates, who shot just 11 percent (3 of 27) in the first half, going 1 of 13 from the 3-point arc.
The Blue Hens never trailed, scoring the first nine points and leading 35-10 at halftime as Delle Donne tallied 12 points and eight rebounds for the half.
East Carolina outscored Delaware in the second half, shooting 43.5 percent to finish at 26 percent (13 of 50) for the game.
