Delle Donne scores 22 in return for Delaware women

Elena Delle Donne scored 22 points in her first game of the season to lead Delaware to a 64-46 win over Providence on Tuesday night. The preseason All-American had missed the season's first three games while dealing with symptoms of Lyme Disease. Without their star, who averaged a nation-leading 28.1 points to go with 10.3 rebounds last season, the Blue Hens (2-2) fell out of the Top 25 on Monday. Delaware had been ranked every week since joining the poll for the first time on school history last November. Delle Donne got going quickly, scoring 15 points in the first half as the Blue Hens built a 41-25 lead at the break. She initially contracted the disease in 2008 and then suffered again through its effects two years ago. She was fine last season while leading Delaware to the second round of the NCAA tournament.