Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Lehigh
Drexel's 300th All-Time Win Comes in Dramatic Fashion
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM
Bethlehem, Pa. - Catherine Scanlon hit an up-and-under layup with four tenths of a second remaining in the game to give Drexel a 58-57 victory over Lehigh (1-3, 0-0 Patriot). The win is the Dragons' (1-3, 0-0 CAA) first of the season and the 300th win in the history of the program.
Trailing 57-56 with 11 seconds remaining the Dragons forced Lehigh to take a bad shot, Narissa Suber grabbed the rebound and sprinted to half court, calling a timeout with four seconds remaining on the clock setting up the final play of the game.
Scanlon scored 10 of her dozen points in the second half and Narissa Suber hit a season-high six three-pointers for 20 points to help the Dragons recover from a seven-point second-half deficit.
The Dragons came out sluggish in the first half, shooting just 29 percent from the floor and allowing an undersized Lehigh team to outrebound them 22-15. Drexel went with a smaller lineup, opting to start Kira Karlstrom in place of Candice Williams in hopes of matching up with a fast-paced Mountain Hawk offense. While the Dragons were able to get open shooting opportunities the shots didn't fall in the first half.
Lehigh hit opportunistic shots and converted 10 of 11 free throws to open up an 11-point lead with just under six minutes left in the first period. Suber kept the game close by hitting two of her three first-half treys in the final two minutes. But Drexel trailed 31-24 at halftime.
Drexel made its move in the opening minutes of the second period, going on a 10-2 run to take a 38-37 lead at the 13:38 mark on Suber's fifth three-pointer of the game. The lead would change hands six times before the final shot fell in Drexel's favor.
Kira Karlstrom energized the Dragons in the second half, hitting two key shots to keep Drexel within striking distance and scrambling to grab three offensive rebounds. Candice Williams' defensive play helped to neutralize what had been effective interior passing by the Mountain Hawks in the second half. Williams' post play earned her four offensive boards a block and a key steal in the final minutes of play.
Three turnovers in the final three minutes of the game nearly cost Drexel the contest as Lehigh built a three-point lead with 2:36 in the game. Drexel went to Scanlon who cooly drove into the lane and hit a jumper to make the score 57-56 with 40 ticks left.
Lehigh set up its final play with 11 seconds remaining but a block by Nicole Hester forced the Mountain Hawks to run a play with two second left on the shot clock, resulting in an airball grabbed by Suber for to set up Scanlon's last-second heroics.
This is the third-straight win for Drexel over Lehigh and sixth in the history of the series. The victory also marks the 300th win in the history of Drexel women's basketball. The team's overall record since becoming a division I program in 1982 now stands at 300-327.
The Dragons travel south next weekend to participate in the East Carolina Tournament, with Idaho and Southern University. First up is Idaho on Saturday, Dec. 3 tip is set for 1:00 p.m.
