Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
PhilaU
Dragons Win, Kids Learn Keys to Being a Winner In Life
11/4/2005 12:00:00 AM
Philadelphia, Pa. In front of 1,500 students from area elementary schools, Drexel women's basketball picked up where they left off last season, outlasting Philadelphia University 52-39 in an exhibition game. The Drexel Dream Day event, centered around the game, was aimed at teaching third through fifth graders life skills lessons through games and team-building activities.
Catherine Scanlon and Narissa Suber supplied the offense for Drexel in the first half. Suber's 16 points all came in the first half as she went 4-for-7 from beyond the three-point arc. Scanlon chipped in eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in the game.
Delise Johnson was a force in the post, entering the game when starting forward Candice Williams found herself in foul trouble in the first half. Johnson lead the Dragons in rebounds with nine, including six offensive boards. She also keyed the Dragons' offense in the second half after Philadelphia opened up with a 6-0 run.
The Dragons ran their offense with relative ease in the first half to open up outside shots for Scanlon and Suber as the team took a 22-9 lead in the first 11 minutes of play. Suber hit her final trey with 2:22 on the clock to give Drexel its biggest lead of the game at 28-14. Nicole Mechell, who finished with nine points in the game, hit two free throws to make the score 28-18 at halftime.
Iona transfer Meg Abele stepped up her game in the second half to score nine points in the period and lead Philadelphia with 14 in the game. The Lady Rams' returning leading scorer Alisha Ferguson made a pair of lay-ups to shrink Drexel's lead to four points.
From there Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a layup, and freshman Carly Golden drove the lane and pulled up for a jump shot, then hit a bank shot ten seconds later to put Drexel back in the driver's seat. Williams capped a 9-3 run when she drove the baseline and muscled in a reverse layup to make the score 42-33. Drexel closed out the game hitting five of nine free throws.
Drexel shot 39.2 percent from the field in the game, including 28 percent from beyond the experimental three-point arc that was moved back nine inches from the original line to a distance of 20 feet, six inches. Philadelphia shot 34 percent from the field but missed 11 free throws in the contest.
The Dragons open their regular season next weekend when they travel to play Boston College in the first round of the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard live on WNTP 990 AM.
