ORONO – Cindy Johnson and Danielle Leyfert know all too well what it feels like to be on the short end of a lopsided loss, especially against the University of Maine.

Delaware’s two talented seniors took their turn on the winning side Sunday afternoon, sparking a second-half surge that carried the Blue Hens to an 84-59 victory over the Black Bears in front of 2,373 fans at Alfond Arena.

Delaware, 7-3 overall and 4-0 in league play, demonstrated why it is considered the favorite to win the America East title this season. The Hens took advantage of their experience, turning a close game into a blowout early in the second half.

“We just came in with the attitude that we have something to prove as a program and we need to play better as a team,” said the speedy Johnson, who scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half to help Delaware put the Bears away.

UMaine’s inexperience showed as coach Sharon Versyp’s team slipped to 3-5, 1-2 in the conference. The Bears were inconsistent in all facets of the game and didn’t have any answers when Delaware made its move.

“We’re real young. You’re going to see a lot of inconsistencies,” Versyp said. “You’re going to see us up and down.”

Delaware outrebounded UMaine 51-34, grabbing 23 offensive rebounds. The Hens shot 43 percent from the floor and scored 24 second-chance points. They also registered 26 points as the result of the Bears’ 24 turnovers.

“Delaware is a fantastic team,” Versyp said. “… We weren’t in it mentally. We were not smart. We were not sharp. The first half we gave them a battle, then the second half we didn’t show up.”

Junior guard Lacey Stone led UMaine with a career-high 16 points, including three 3-pointers, and a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman guard Melissa Heon netted 11 points, while freshman Julie Veilleux of Augusta contributed eight points, four assists and two steals.

Stone said the team is frustrated by its performance, but still believes there are better days ahead.

“It was a hard loss,” Stone said. “We’re a young team, but I think we have the capability of beating the Delaware team. I think we could have beat them today if it would have all come together.”

Christina Rible tossed in 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Hens, while Megan Dellegrotti hit four 3-pointers on her way to 16 points and dished out six assists. Leyfert netted 14 points.

UMaine trailed 36-28 at halftime, despite committing 16 turnovers. The suspense didn’t last much longer as the Hens used their defensive anticipation, rebounding prowess and speed to unleash a fast-break attack that buried the Bears.

Delaware led 42-32 when Johnson hit a six-footer from the baseline to convert a Christine Cole steal. Dellegrotti followed with a 12-footer in transition, then Johnson buried a pull-up jumper to make it 48-32.

The onslaught continued with Leyfert’s baseline jumper and a 16-footer by Johnson. The Bears appeared confused and couldn’t seem to find the open shooter.

“When the momentum goes the other way and your heads are down a little bit and you’re trying to pick them back up, all the mental stuff kind of goes away,” Versyp said. “You need to still play defense. You need to still be in their face.

Kizzy Lopez ended the 10-0 spurt with a basket from underneath, but Leyfert’s 10-footer, a Dellegrotti jumper from the lane and Cole’s offensive rebound basket made it 58-34 with 12:55 remaining.

Delaware eventually extended the advantage to as many as 33 points and though the Bears didn’t quit, the damage had been done.

“It’s always nice to play well and show how far your program has come in front of a nice crowd on the road,” Martin said.

The Bears’ frontcourt players had difficulty scoring against the Hens, as Christy Grover, Anna James, Heather Ernest and Eva Moldre shot a combined 4-for-20 and managed only 12 rebounds.

Blue Hens 75, Black Bears 57

Delaware (7-3) Maine women (3-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP

Dellegrotti 6 11 0 0 16 Heon 5 8 0 0 11

Johnson 9 17 0 0 18 Guerrette 0 1 0 0 0

Leyfert 6 12 2 2 14 Veilleux 4 10 0 1 8

Rible 7 17 4 4 18 James 2 5 1 4 6

Cole 1 3 0 0 2 Grover 1 8 5 7 7

Trapp 0 5 2 2 2 Moldre 1 3 1 2 3

Timmins 0 0 0 0 0 Ernest 0 4 0 0 0

Mills 0 0 0 0 0 Lopez 1 3 0 0 2

Boyer 0 0 0 0 0 Stone 5 10 3 4 16

Tingley 0 1 0 0 0 Geraghty 2 4 2 2 6

Davis 2 5 0 0 5

Howell 3 6 3 3 9

Maloney 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 34 79 11 11 84 Totals 21 56 12 20 59

Delaware 36 84

Maine 28 59

3-pt. goals: Delaware (5-11): Dellegrotti 4-9, Davis 1-2; Maine (5-14): Heon 1-3, Veilleux 0-2, James 1-1, Ernest 0-1, Lopez 0-2, Stone 3-5

Attendance: 2,373