Delaware wins overtime thriller

Delaware beat Lafayette(7-6) 82-72 in overtime to win their fourth game of the season. Delaware was led by Alphonso Dawson, who had a team high 23 points and 14 rebounds. DJ Boney also chipped in 16 points, while Jawan Carter scored 15. Delaware only shot 32 percent from the field, but 83 percent from the free throw line, while Lafayette was 40 percent from the field, and 76 percent from the charity stripe.

Lafayette was led by Jared Mintz, who scored a game high 26 points.

Delaware will try to get their fifth win of the season this Saturday, Jan 2, when they take on Drexel at 2pm at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware Wins 4 in a Row

Delaware took down La Salle University 54-46 this Sunday at the Bob Carpenter Center. Delaware, now 6-3, won its fourth straight game, along with its fifth straight at home. This is Delaware's second home game of the year.

Both teams shot poorly from the field, with Delaware at 38 percent and La Salle at 31. Freshman standout Elena Delle Donne chipped in a team high 17 points and eight rebounds, while Tesia Harris scored 16 points and added six rebounds. For La Salle, Jamie Walsh scored 17 points and was 5 for 11 in three pointers.

Delaware will face Buffalo next at home on Dec. 22.

U.S. Naval Academy vs. Hens live blog

Just over eight minutes into the game, Elena Delle Donne has 8 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist. She's hit her first three shots, two of which were from three-point range. Navy leads 16-15.

Navy and Delaware are playing a very even, back-and-forth game in the first half. Delaware leads 17-16 with a little less than eight minutes left in the half.

At the end of the first half, Delaware leads 33-25. The Hens went on a 10-0 runs late in the half. Delle Donne has more points (16), assists (3), and rebounds (5) than any other player on Delaware or Navy.

Danielle Parker just hit a jumper two minutes into the second half. Tesia Harris also hit a three. Hens lead 38-25.

The Hens have outscored the Mids, 7-4, four and a half minutes into the second half.

Navy is rallying, cutting its deficit to 10 points. Twelve minutes left in the game. 42-32 Hens.

With six and a half minutes left, Delle Donne has twenty points. Hens lead 51-38.

Delaware wins 67-50. Delle Donne had 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Danielle Park also had 11 points and 6 rebounds.

-Pat Gillespie, Assistant Sports Editor

Volleyball falls short in the CAA tournament

The Delaware volleyball team fell short of its third consecutive conference championship yesterday, losing to George Mason 3-2. Heartbreak was the name of the game as the Hens gave up a 2-1 match lead, falling 25-21 and 15-7 in the fourth and fifth set respectively.

They did not lack effort though. Steph Barry had 29 digs and Jess Chason had 55 assists. Kim Stewart had 14 kills, and Alissa Alker had 12 kills too.

As the main reporter for this team for the season, I can say that the early playoff exit is not symbolic of the Hens season. They trained, practiced, and played hard all year. Being regular season co-champions was something they took pride in. They also had a team chemistry that I have yet to see in other Delaware sports teams. Yesterday's loss is merely a bump in the road for a program that is going very far in the near future. Look for the Blue Hens in the NCAA tournament next year and years afterward.

Head coach Bonnie Kenny led a talented group of young ladies to a very successful season. Things did not turn out as expected, but sometimes that's the way life goes. They'll learn from this year, and come back for a strong 2010 campaign.

The MVP of Baseball

Joe Mauer won the American League MVP yesterday. For the sake of comparison, I think its safe to say Albert Pujols will take the National League MVP. Of the twenty-two writers and Baseball Tonight anchors at ESPN, all of them picked Pujols to win the NL MVP. It's a safe call to make.

This begs the question: who is the MVP of the Major Leagues?

(Drum Roll)...

The 2009 Major League Baseball MVP is Joe Mauer.

Wait a second?!

What about Pujols aka the machine?

He led the National League in on-base percentage, slugging OPS, extra base hits, total bases, runs, and, of course, home runs. Not to mention, the machine posted a .327 batting average and drilled in 135 RBIs. He's also a gold glove caliber first basemen. The Cardinals wouldn't have endured the embarrassing division series sweep to the Dodgers had Pujols not been the cornerstone of the offense all year. Okay, that's a harsh way of putting it, but the guy has arguably the coolest "this is beyond baseball" commercial. Watch it once, and you'll buy tickets to the next Phillies-Cardinals game, just to see #5 play.

So what about this fellow Mauer?

He did hit .365, which was the best in the majors. But, he didn't even have a hundred RBIs and he only slugged 28 home runs. Pujols beat him out in the majority of major offensive statistics. The Twins had the exact same playoff outcome too, crumbling to the Yankees in three games.

So why Mauer?

Because the best win even when they are all the teams got. I'm not saying Pujols isn't deserving of the best, but Mauer willed his team to the playoffs, something Pujols did not endure. Without Pujols, the Cardinals probably don't make the playoffs, but make a push for the wildcard spot. Without Mauer, the Twins may break the single-season loss record.

Mauer not only put up outstanding numbers for a catcher who was coming off a lower back injury, but he led a flimsy pitching staff to the playoffs, even when Baseball Tonight counted them out. Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Michael Duensing, and Nick Blackburn (Who? Did these guys com from the California State Penal League?) were all starters for the Twins throughout the 2009 season, and all are under the age of twenty-eight. Not one of them had more than fifteen wins.

On the offensive side, it was the M&M --Mauer and Morneau--boys right? Well, not exactly. When the Twins needed Justin Morneau down the stretch, he was out for the season with a back injury. Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer did have good offensive seasons, but when the Twins needed a win, it was Mauer who propelled them to victory.

He missed the first month of the season due to injury, played the most physically demanding and brutalizing position in baseball, and still had eye-popping offensive numbers. Joe Mauer is the MVP because nothing was easily given to him and everything was hard earned. In fact, it took 163 games to prove how hard Mauer and the Twins worked to reach the playoffs.

Pujols had Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. He also had one of this offseason's biggest free agents, Matt Holiday, to protect him in the lineup. Pujols is the face of the Cardinals, but he certainly had a lot of body parts to help him out.

Its not a statistical comparison; Pujols gets the gold on that. Its a comparison of who did the most with the least. Mauer took a group of Joes as far as they could possibly go given their age, experience and playoff scenario. Put simply, he took a lump of clay and made a sculpture.

Joe Mauer was the arms, legs, mind, heart, and face of the Twins. Congratulations Mauer, the 2009 MLB MVP is yours. You're no Joe.

Hens at Villanova Live

Scoreboard
Hens 12
Wildcats 30
Final

Onside kick recovered by Szczur, effectively ending Delaware's season
This guy has been all over the place, so it's only fitting that he grab the ball to end their season.

Nihja White grabs a 3-yard pass for a touchdown, two point conversion failed, Villanova 30-12
It's a little too late to be excited about the Hens' first touchdown of the game, especially since Villanova seems to have mailed this game in.

Devlin throws third interception of the game, leads to Wildcat FG, Villanova 30-6
This one wasn't entirely his fault, but he's not relieved of all blame. Marlon Johnson hit Devlin as he threw, causing the ball to come loose which allowed Tim Kukucka to grab the ball. Yako then converted from 34 yards out.

Hens fail to convert fourth down again, Wildcats take over at their 40
Devlin had a shot at the end zone as Rob Jones led his defender the whole way, but Jones could do nothing as he watched the ball sail out of the back of the end zone.

Direct snap to WR Matt Szczur for a 3-yard touchdown, 27-6 Villanova
The Wildcats retaliated in less than two minutes, mostly because of Matt Szczur. The wide receiver is the Wildcats' main "wildcat" formation receiver, and hurt the Hens first on a 36-yard run down to the Delaware 18. After a quarterback keeper by Whitney and a 15-yard rush to running back Aaron Ball, Szczur took the direct snap for the touchdown.

Striefsky bangs through another field goal, 20-6 Villanova
The Hens looked like they had their second wind after halftime, but stalled again, this time at the seven yard line. Devlin went 7-9 on the drive for 72 yards, but the short field stopped them because they can't get the run game going. Striefsky's field goal was for 25 yards.

Turnover on downs for the Hens, end of half
The Hens looked like they could have an epic drive, but failed to convert on a fourth down. Coach K.C. Keeler must have decided that a 50-yard attempt by Striefsky would be asking too much of his best offensive weapon over the past two games. 20-10 would have looked much better, but any Hens fan would want Striefsky to try a field goal over a fourth and 12 conversion attempt.

Wildcats benefit from the interception again, Yako kicks 45-yarder, 20-3 Villanova
They were working with a short field, and though they only moved the ball two yards the interception return put them into field goal position. The 45-yard kick was the longest of the season by Yako. The Hens are at their 20 with just 1:47 left in the first half.

Devlin throws his second interception on the day
After an offensive pass interference penalty to push the Hens back to a 1st and 25 situation, the Hens were forced into a five WR set, and under pressure Devlin threw an interception to linebacker Jacob Wade, who took the ball back to Delaware's 32 yard line.

Angelo Babbaro rushes two yards to the end zone, 17-3 Villanova
Villanova needed just six plays and less than three minutes to retaliate Striefsky's field goal as they easily moved the ball down the field to give the running back Babbaro the easy touchdown. We also saw the first of the Wildcat formation by Villanova, primarily run by wide receiver Matt Szczur (pronounced see-ZUR).

Ol' faithful kicker Jon Striefsky boots a 39-yard field goal, 10-3 Villanova
Striefsky never seems to get tired, and even after a record-breaking outing last week is still on fire. The drive was moving well until it stalled right before the red zone. Striefsky's field goal came with 8:42 left in the second.

Delaware goes 3 and out, end of first quarter
Mark Duncan had a great catch-and-run, but unfortunately was short two yards after a fall start on OL Kevin Uhll.

Wildcat QB Chris Whitney rushes for 9 yards for a touchdown, 10-0 Villanova
Well, that turnover came back to bite the Hens. In four minutes the Wildcats took the ball 76 yards on just nine plays. Whitney has been noticeably bad passing the ball, including overthrowing wide open receivers. He now has 45 yards on five carries for the day and is 4-8 for 35 yards passing.

Pat Devlin throws an interception, first and ten Villanova on their 26
After a good looking first drive for the Hens, Devlin's sixth pass on the drive was intercepted for a short return. Devlin was 4-5 for 38 yards before that.

Wildcats strike first on 32-yard field goal, 3-0 Villanova
The Wildcats brought the ball down the field with ease, even converting a fourth and one situation to stay alive. Nick Yako's field goal from 32 out was good, Hens will get the ball back with 10:03 left in the first.

Sorry about the late start, Hens fans. A false accusation of a lewd act on the opposition's campus will cause a little trouble. Stay tuned for live updates of Delaware at Villanova, the last regular season game on the Hens' schedule.

Delaware vs. Navy live game blog

Scoreboard
Hens 18 
Navy 35
Final


Dobbs finds endzone for the fifth time, Navy defeats Delaware 35-18
After finding WR Bobby Doyle on 4th and 10 with a minute left, Dobbs ran the ball in himself from the three yard-line to give Navy the 35-18 victory. Dobbs' touchdown set a stadium record for most touchdowns in one game.
With the loss, Delaware drops to 6-4 and Navy advances to 8-3. Although they put up a fight, the Hens will have to defeat Villanova next week to have any hope of advancing to the FCS playoffs.

Navy converts on 4th and short
On fourth and short from the Delaware 35 yard line, Ricky Dobbs bulled through for a first down. The spot call went up for review but was upheld. The call essentially ends the game, as Navy will have the opportunity to run out the clock after Delaware takes their final time out.

Butler finishes drive, Hens cut lead to 10
After a drive in which Nahja White caught his first to balls of the game, one of which was for 22 yards, Jerry Butler ran the ball in from one yard out. The Hens attempted a two-point conversion, but a Pat Devlin pass was incomplete. Delaware's drive was 11 plays, 78 yards and 4:10. The Defense absolutely needs a stop here with 6:29 left in the game.

Teich sets up Dobbs 2 yd. TD run
Navy now leads 28-12 with 10:39 to play. RB Alexander Teich had a 22 yard carry to advance Navy to the two yard line. Dobbs then ran the ball in himself to tie the Navy school record for most touchdowns in a season and break the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season. It was his 21st TD of the season.
It looks like the Hens defense has given up, unfortunately. They're unable to make tackles and stop the option in the second half. If Devlin and company can find the endzone on this drive, however, they're right back in the game. We'll see if they can do something.

Devlin fumbles, Navy recovers
While attempting to throw the ball, Devlin was sacked by Navy DE Jabaree Tuani. He lost control of the ball and Tuani recovered. Navy will take over on Delaware's 37 yard line. Delaware needs a big stop here.

Dobbs finds endzone, Navy leads 21-12
After a 46-run down the sideline by Navy QB Dobbs to bring the ball inside the five yard line. He then finished what he started, bulling through the middle for a touchdown on a QB keeper. Delaware absolutely has to put points on the board on this drive or they can kiss their hopes of beating a bowl team goodbye. There is 12:26 left to play, but time has been going by fast as both teams are displaying their running game.

Navy punts after fumble
Delaware will take over at their own 12-yard line after Navy was forced to punt. The Hens were aided by a Dobbs fumble as he attempted the option, which pinned the Midshipmen at 3rd and 19. Saddiq Haynes sacked Dobbs on the ensuing play forcing Navy to punt. It was a huge break for the Hens. Navy looked like they were poised to make a drive. Delaware needs to put points on the board here. It is clear Navy made some offensive adjustments at halftime.

Hens settle for three again
Jon Striefsky nailed a 21-yard FG to cut the lead to 14-12. After driving to the three yard line, Devlin tried to hit Tommy Crosby in the endzone but the play was well-defended. Penalties and failure to find the endzone are becoming themes in this game for the Hens offense. After driving to the 10, the Hens were penalized and moved back once again in this drive. They did, however, put points on the board, which is important if Navy is going to continue to drive like they did in their last offensive series.

Dobbs finds endzone, Navy re-takes lead
After 11 plays, 64 yards and 5:48, Navy QB Ricky Dobbs scored on a 1 yard touchdown run on 3rd and goal. Delaware's defense came out flat. They didn't tackle, and they weren't reading the option well. It will be interesting to see how the Hens' offense responds.


Navy takes over at own 37
Navy will start the half on their own 37 yard line. We'll see if Delaware's defense can make a stand here. It will be huge to continue the Hens' momentum if Delaware is successful.

Underdog Hens came to play, but are plagued by penalties
Delaware leads Navy 9-7 at halftime, but the score should actually be 13-7 if it weren't for a horrendous call by the officials (no, I am not being bias).
Delaware is outplaying the Midshipmen, leading them in virtually every major offensive category including first downs, rushing yards, passing yards, and net-yards. The Hens defense has held Navy to just 105 total yards- not bad considering the 80-yard drive the Midshipmen had to start the game, which still stands as the only Navy bright spot in the first half. It may have been the result of Delaware cold feet.
The Hens running game is getting the job done, and it is setting up the passiing game. David Hayes, Jerry Butler and Phil Thaxton have a combined 117 yards rushing, often gaining 4-5 yards on each play. Although Devlin has struggled with his accuracy, he has managed to hit Duncan and Tommy Crosby consistently in third -down situations. Duncan leads the Hens with three receptions for 34 yards.
Navy is a much better team than they have shown, but they are very one-dimensional (which they have also shown). It seems as if Keeler and his coaches have trained Delaware how to stop the triple-option successfully, but don't be shocked if the Midshipmen air one or two out for big yardage every once in a while. Hens defensive backs, namely safeties Charles Graves and Anthony Bratton can't fall asleep, or it could be the difference in the game.

Hens touchdown reversed after beautiful drive, Hens settle for three at close of half
The Hens made what is possibly the best drive they had made all season, recording seven first downs to Butler, Hayes, Duncan, Mooney, Thaxton and Butler again. From the Navy four yard line, Devlin hit WR Tommy Crosby in the endzone. They flagged Jerry Butler on the play for pass interference in the back of the endzone, backing the Hens up to the19-yard-line. It is hard to decifer what the officials were thinking on that call. Rarely is offensive pass interference called away from the play. Regardless, Jon Striefsky nailed a 25-yard-field goal to take the Hens into the half with a 9-7 lead.
The Hens drive was beautifully orchestrated. They drove 84 yards on 18 plays while taking 8:39 off of the clock. Delaware has huge momentum heading into the second half of the game. Stay tuned for some halftime analysis.

Higginson sets up another Navy 3 and out
John Higginson sacked Navy QB Ricky Dobbs for an eight yard loss forcing another Navy punt. This time, there was no roughing the punter, but Navy pinned the Hens on their own eight yard line. We'll see if the Hens' offense can make some noise.

Hens force three and out, but rough the punter
After that first series in which Navy drove for 80 yards, the Hens have forced a turnover and a three and out. Unfortunately, Navy punter Kyle Delahooke was taken down on the punt and Navy got the ball back. That could be a huge turn of events in favor of Navy.

Striefsky nails 39 yd. FG, Hens cut lead to 7-7 at start of second quarter
Higginson's fumble recovery resulted in three points after a failed offensive series by Devlin and company. They recoreded -3 yards. Regardless, the Hens were able to come out with some points. Hens' head coach K.C. Keeler stressed the importance of turnovers earlier this week. Navy is going to put up a lot of points, but if the Hens can force some turnovers, they will stay in it. Let's see if his philosophy proves to be correct.

Defense forces fumble, Higginson recovers
Tyrone Grant knocked the ball loose on a Navy option and John Higginson picked the ball up, carrying it back to the Navy 19-yard-line. The Hens defended the option perfectly on that play.

Striefsky nails 47 yd. FG, Navy leads 7-3
John Striefsky tied his career high with a 47 yard field goal after an 11 play, 52 yard drive by the Hens. WR Tommy Crosby and RB David Hayes, who was listed at third on the depth chart to start the game, took the reigns on that drive. Devlin hit Crosby twice for a first down to start the drive, then handed the ball off to Hayes for another. The Hens couldn't find the endzone though. Once again, Devlin overthrew one of his receivers - this time it was Phillip Thaxton. The Delaware receivers must have said something to make Devlin angry today because he is continuously leaving them out to dry, and they're taking some big hits going up for balls.

Dobbs does it himself, scores touchdown
The Hens knew what they were getting with Navy, and the Midshipmen just handed it to them on a platter. Led by QB Ricky Dobbs, Navy ran the ball all the way down the field on the Hens on 10 plays, 80 yards and just 4:33.
The series started with a 24-yard pass (uncharacteristic of Navy), but the running game took over from there. Between Dobbs and RB Gee Gee Greene, Navy recorded four first downs on the series, ending with Dobbs taking the ball in himself from the one-yard-line.

Devlin misses Duncan twice, Hens forced to punt
Navy will take over on their own 20 yard line after an Ed Wagner punt for a touch-back. After two first downs, the Hens were stifled when Devlin threw behind Duncan on a slant route and overthrew Duncan on a post. We'll see if the Hens defense can stand-up to the triple option.

Butler, Duncan move the chains
That was huge for Delaware. After a eight yard rush by Jerry Butler, Devlin hit WR Marc Duncan on a curl route, moving the chains. Delaware is now near midfield.

Delaware starts series on offense
We'll see what Devlin and company has to show us early. The Hens' Jerry Butler recieved the Delaware kickoff and brought the ball to the Hens' 25.

Sandwich Game
Navy just announced that many of their normal starters won't be starting this game for the Midshipmen. We're not sure why, but one could conceive that Navy sees this game as a sandwich game between Notre Dame and Hawaii (their opponent next week). After Hawaii Navy plays their usual rival Army, then heads to the Texas Bowl. Clearly Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo sees this week's game as a chance to rest before the Midshipmen start their gauntlet next week.
For the Hens, this is the gauntlet. They need to take advantage of the fact that Navy may be overlooking them.

The Weather
It's cloudy, but comfortable here in Annapolis. Currently it's 57 degrees with very little wind. This is good for Delaware's spread offense. If it had been rainy, the run-oriented Midshipmen would clearly have the advantage.

Keys to the game
For Delaware's offense, they will need to establish a balanced attack in order to defeat the Midshipmen. Last week, RB Jerry Butler came alive in the backfield, scoring two touchdowns, and Devlin continued his good on-field relationship with WR Mark Duncan. The Hens need to continue that trend, and then some, keeping the Midshipmen on their heels.
On defense, the Hens need to stop the triple option - and that's no easy task. The Fighting Irish failed to do so last week, and we saw the result. Delaware doesn't have Notre Dame's talent, but they might be able to out-smart the Midshipmen like they did in 2007.

Welcome to Navy Marine Corps Stadium
The Hens are looking to step up a level this week and take on FBS Navy. The midshipmen are coming off an adrenaline-filled thriller against No. 19 Notre Dame last week inwhich they pulled out a 23-21 victory.
Delaware is going to have to step up their level of play. The Hens lost to unranked JMU two weeks ago and squeaked by unranked Hofstra last Saturday.
For extensive coverage of last week's game, the Hens' playoffs hopes, and a preview of this weeks game, go to udreview.com/sports.