The nation’s second-leading scorer had a tough shooting day Sunday.
Jasmine Dickey being who she is, Delaware’s standout swing guard still scored 24 points and found a myriad of ways to ruin UNC-Wilmington’s visit to the Carpenter Center in the Blue Hens’ 77-62 women’s basketball win.
It may have equaled less than half of Friday night’s 52-point outburst, the building record Dickey produced in Delaware’s 103-79 win over the College of Charleston.
But because Dickey makes life miserable for opponents in so many ways, her scoring is hardly the sole measure of her effectiveness as a player or value to the Blue Hens, who are 15-5 overall and 9-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Dickey has been among NCAA Division I’s leading scorers all season, including sitting at No. 1 for weeks after her points-per-game peaked at 29.5 following a 48-point effort in an 87-72 win over Eastern Michigan at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic in Miami.
She entered Sunday’s game at 25.4 points per game, trailing only Iowa All-American Caitlin Clark (26.4).
Against Charleston, Dickey had a career-high 18 rebounds, 10 from the offensive glass, to go with that 52-point showing.
She was the first player to have that many points and rebounds against a Division I foe in an NCAA women’s basketball game since 2009-10, an astonishing accomplishment.
The Friday night spectacle also received the ultimate modern-day compliment as Dickey made ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, her second such appearance this season.
“I definitely enjoyed it,” Dickey said of the fanfare. “I can’t enjoy it too much because we still have games to play. But it’s fun. My phone’s been blowing up all weekend. Everybody was sending me the [ESPN] video.”
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It was clear Friday night that Dickey and her teammates appreciated the moment and the accomplishment, as she scored nine straight points in the final 2:40 as they fed her the basketball.
“It just seemed like the basket was wide open and I just took advantage of it,” the Catonsville, Maryland, resident said.
This being basketball, the hoop was a little less inviting on Sunday.
Dickey made just 5 of her 21 field-goal attempts, many from close range. That was frustrating but not unprecedented, as it was actually the eighth time she’d shot 33-percent or lower from the field.
But Dickey also went to the foul line 16 times and made 14 of those shots, snared 16 more rebounds and was a terror on defense and fueling the fast break.
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“She’s not a one-dimensional player,” Delaware coach Natasha Adair said of Dickey, the 2021 CAA Player of the Year, on Sunday.
“ . . . There’s some people, if their shots not falling, there’s nothing else they can do. And that’s what makes her such a hot commodity. She can do all those different things. She is a complete player.”
Alluding to Dickey’s athletic prowess and competitive disposition, Adair added that “Jasmine has never lost a sprint since she’s been here.”
Dickey, who majors in sports health with a minor in strength and conditioning and could graduate this spring, has appeared on some WNBA mock drafts. She also has another year to play since 2020-21 didn’t count against players’ eligibility due to COVID-19, though she hasn’t yet decided if she’ll continue school or play professionally next year.
“For sure she is a pro,” said Adair, who is no hurry to see Dickey leave for that level.
With her 52- and 48-point games, Dickey now holds the No. 2 and No. 3 single-game UD women’s basketball scoring marks.
The school record remains Elena Delle Donne’s remarkable 54 points in an 88-83 overtime loss at James Madison on Feb. 18, 2010. Delle Donne had 47 in regulation.
That was Delle Donne’s freshman season in her All-American career that culminated with 2012 and 2013 NCAA Tournament trips and a 2013 Sweet Sixteen run for the Blue Hens.
Many recall that Delle Donne, the two-time WNBA MVP and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, scored 50 for Ursuline Academy at the Carpenter Center her sophomore year in the 2006 DIAA title game win over St. Elizabeth.
The Carpenter Center record for men’s college basketball is 43 points by Boston University’s John Holland against Delaware in 2010 and, for a UD player, Davon Usher’s 42 against Charleston in the Blue Hens’ 2013-14 CAA championship season.
So Dickey’s scoring performance was truly epic. And it came in a season that, for a few moments on Dec. 27 at SMU, looked like it might be over.
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Late in the third quarter of that game, while pursuing a rebound, Dickey suffered a painful hyperextension and dislocation of her right elbow. She quickly moved her arm in a way that actually realigned the joint, saying it’s because she’s double-jointed there.
She did miss Delaware’s next two games before the Hens had a month-long COVID-related break while undergoing extensive rehabilitation for ligament damage in the elbow.
Dickey didn’t shoot well her first couple games back, but she has had better aim since. Adair believes it’s because the injury slightly restricts her movement and keeps her elbow closer to her body.
“Absolutely she deserves this,” Adair said, referring to the attention Dickey’s 52-point game received.
“It is not a surprise. This is a special time for her and it’s been neat watching it develop. It’s because she works.”
Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
