Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Lehigh
Suber Shoots Drexel To Its First Win of the Season
11/26/2006 3:41:01 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia, Pa. - #Narissa Suber# scored 20 of her season-high 26 points in the second half including an eight-point spurt to open the second half that gave Drexel a seven-point lead it would hold on to for a 62-55 victory. The Dragons' (1-4) first win of the season dropped Lehigh to 2-3 on the year and was the fourth straight for Drexel over the Mountain Hawks.
The Dragons forced Lehigh into committing 21 turnovers, the most for a Drexel opponent this season, and capitalized to score 19 points off of the give-aways. Freshman Gabriela Marginean was a cause of many of the those turnovers, poaching five passes in the game to go with her 14 points and team-high seven rebounds. Senior guard Kira Karlstrom put in a season-high 10 points to give the Dragons three players in double figures for the first time this season.
Drexel shot just 25.8 percent from the floor in the first half, but the team's quantity of shots made up for its lack of quality shooting. The Dragons' 31 shots were 10 more than Lehigh was able to get off in the period and this, combined with 11 Lehigh turnovers, kept the team in the contest, trailing 23-22 at the break.
Suber took over the game from the opening whistle in the second stanza. Finding an opening in Lehigh's defense at the top of the key, Suber hit a quick catch-and-release three-pointer to regain the lead for Drexel at 27-25. She followed it up with a baseline jumper on the next possession then intercepted a Lehigh pass on the defensive end of the floor. Karlstrom rewarded her effort with one of her five assists on the game, setting up Suber for a trey that would make it 32-35. From there, the Dragons never looked back. Suber wouldn't let them.
When Lehigh cut the lead to three points at 44-41 on a Sara Ellis triple with 11:48 remaining, Suber answered with one of her own to push the cushion to six. With six and a half minutes left in the game, the Mountain Hawks again threatened when Kristen Dalton stole the ball and went in for a short jumper that made it a 48-44 Drexel lead. Suber slyly snuck around a screen on the wing and got off a three-pointer with a defender draped on her, which drew a three-shot foul. She converted two of the free-throws and on the next trip down the court drilled another three to give Drexel its largest lead of the game, 53-44, with 4:36 to play.
The shots that weren't falling for Drexel in the first half, found their way to the net in the second period as the team shot a season-best 44.4 percent from the field in the second half, including a 5-for-12 mark from beyond the three-point arc.
Drexel preserved the lead by taking care of the ball and converting 7-of-8 free-throw attempts in the final three minutes of play. Lehigh closed to within five with 36 seconds in the contest when the All-Patriot League performer Adrienne Blount drew a foul and made both shots. Suber responded by shaking free for a jumper from the right wing then converting two free-throws on a foul by Lehigh to stop the clock.
The win snaps what had been a four-game losing skid by the Dragons. Sophomore walk-on Kelly Golden played a big part in the victory, playing a career-high 28 minutes and hitting a key three-pointer in the first half to go with her two assists and one steal in the game. Melissa Rich led the Mountain Hawks with 17 points in the loss.
Drexel will try to maintain the momentum of the victory as the team travels to play at Siena on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The tip time is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y.
