Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Temple
Drexel Takes Temple to the Ropes Before Falling in Final Minutes 61-50
11/17/2006 9:24:03 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia, Pa. - With 2:21 on the clock freshman guard Alison Lupariello collected a pass on the baseline, set her feet and drilled a three-pointer in front of the Drexel bench to give the Dragons a 49-48 lead over Temple and bring the DAC denizens to their feet. The Owls, playing in their first game of the season, steadied themselves behind their star Kamesha Hairston and reeled off nine straight points to seize the game back from the Dragons (0-3). Temple (1-0) held on from there for a 61-50 season-opening victory.
Freshman Gabriela Marginean led the Dragons with 18 points and 11 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double. Narissa Suber brought the Dragons back in the second half with 12 points, all scored in the second stanza. Hairston led the Owls with 18 points and had a key block in the final minues of play. Freshman forward Jasmine Stone led Temple with 13 rebounds, six of them on the offensive boards.
After a forgettable first half in which the Dragons were outrebouned 20-12 and gathered just five defensive boards while falling behind 35-20 at the break, Drexel came out strong in the second period.
Narissa Suber set the tone with a three-pointer to open scoring in the second half. The trey was her first bucket of the game. Her second came just minutes later from nearly the same spot off a dish from Kira Karlstrom, keying an 8-3 Drexel run that cut Temple's lead to six points at 40-34 and exposed the Owls defense as vulnerable to the drive.
On the defensive end, Drexel's zone defense disrupted Temple just enough to force some missed shots and the Dragons frontcourt put in the work down low to outrebound the Owls 23-19 in the second half. The Dragons held Temple, who shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes of play, to a chilly 30.8 percent in the second half.
With just over eight minutes to play, Suber took control again, driving from the left wing into the lane and drawing a foul. She knocked down both free-throws and drove the lane for a layup on the next possession, this keyed an 11-2 Drexel run that gave the Dragons the lead at the 2:21 mark.
Marginean came up big during Drexel's rally. Karlstrom hit her with a hard bounce pass in the post which the freshman forward caught and redirected quickly enough to beat Temple's post defenders. Suber drew a foul and hit two more free throws to extend her streak to 13 straight from the charity stripe. On the following possession Marginean took the ball down the right side of the lane, catching the defender cheating to the right, she spun into the lane and laid the ball in from about five feet out to make the score 46-44 in Temple's favor.
After a layup by Lady Comfort pushed the Owls' lead back to four points, Lupariello set up her own heroic opportunity by working her way into the lane for a foul and converting both shots. A minute later she would knock down a three to give Drexel the lead and fuel the Dragons hopes of knocking off their crosstown rival.
Drexel hits the road next week to take on the Dayton Flyers on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The game is set for 5:00 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with Dayton's men's team.
