The way Delaware’s run in the CAA Tournament ended — with a crushing loss to Drexel in the title game — was a tough ending to a big season for the Blue Hens’ women’s basketball team.

But now Delaware has given itself a chance to write a much better final chapter to the campaign.

On Friday, the Hens ran away to a 77-49 win over Fordham to give the program its first WNIT victory in the first round of the 32-team tourney at Charlotte, N.C.’s Bojangles Coliseum.

Delaware (22-4), which had been 0-8 all-time in the WNIT, next faces Clemson, which beat Ohio, 65-60, in the second round on Saturday at 5 p.m.

“We have to make sure we are sending a message on how hard we’re going to play,” UD coach Natasha Adair told her players on a video posted by the school on social media. “We are going to out-work them for 40 minutes — or 40-plus minutes, whatever it takes. All action. No words today, all action.”

Junior guard Jasmine Dickey bounced back from a rough shooting night in the CAA finals to net a game-high 22 points — including 18 in the first half alone.

She shot 10-of-19 for the game with nine rebounds, four steals and two assists.

A total of four players scored in double figures for the Hens, who led by as many as 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Also for Delaware, junior forward Ty Battle poured in 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go with eight boards and a block, senior forward Lizzie Oleary collected 11 points and eight rebounds, and three steals, while junior point guard Paris McBride posted 10 points, four assists and three steals.

The Hens limited Fordham (12-5) to only 36.5 percent shooting (19-of-52) from the floor and 12.5 percent (3-of-24) from beyond the arc. Delaware forced the Rams into 22 turnovers, including 15 steals, which the Hens converted into 24 points.

After Dickey scored the first seven points of the game for Delaware, junior guard Jewel Smalls drained a corner three to put the Blue Hens in front 10-7 with 4:06 left in the first quarter, a lead they never relinquished.

Delaware held a 39-26 lead at halftime before outscoring the Rams 17-8 in the third quarter.