Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Monmouth
Dragons Soar Past Monmouth In Overtime, 75-67
12/16/2006 4:34:22 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia, Pa. - #Narissa Suber# knocked down a step-back three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:12 left in overtime to give Drexel (3-6, 0-1 CAA) a 66-62 lead it would cling to for a 75-67 victory over Monmouth (5-4, 1-0 NEC). Suber scored 11 of Drexel's 17 overtime points, en route to a career-high 28, including the team's first seven to help the Dragons pull away for the extra-period victory.
Freshman guard Alison Lupariello also set her career high with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field. Gabriela Marginean chipped in 15 as well, including a 7-for-8 performance from the free-throw line despite being shackled with foul trouble for portions of the game. Kira Karlstrom chipped in 13 points and handed out a personal-best eight assists while committing just one turnover in the course of the action.
After trailing by seven at the half, Drexel opened the second stanza with a 9-4 run capped by a driving layup by Lupariello in the lane to tie it at 36-36 with 15:04 on the clock. Three minutes later Lupariello, who teamed with Narissa Suber to score 17 of Drexel's 25 first-half points, drilled a three from the wing to give the Dragons their first lead of the game, 39-38. Lupariello missed just two shots from the floor on the way to the best scoring peformance of her young Drexel career.
Drexel held a six-point lead with 4:17 remaining in the game on a layup by Marginean. But the Dragons would get just one more field goal for the duration, while the Hawks chipped away at the margin. Brianne Edwards drew a foul on a Monmouth fast break and knocked down both free throws with 23.3 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 58-58. Suber's driving layup attempt fell just short with three seconds left in regulation, and a last-second heave by Monmouth did not find net, sending the game into overtime.
Suber took over from there, driving into the lane to get herself to the free-throw line three times in the first three minutes of the five-minute addendum. The 90-percent foul shooter confidently knocked down five of her six attempts before drilling the decisive three-pointer that put Drexel in command. The Dragons made 14 free throws in the extra stanza after depositing just nine from the charity stripe over the first 40 minutes of play.
Monmouth shot 48 percent from the floor and battled hard on the boards, outrebounding Drexel 37-29 and 17-9 on the offensive glass. The Hawks converted their extra opportunities to outscore Drexel 15-2 on second-chance points. But the Dragons used a season-best 12 steals to score 21 points off turnovers, nine more than the Hawks. Drexel shot a season-best 44.7 percent from the floor and 47. 6 percent from long range and the team's 75 points is the most the Dragons have scored all year.
Anora Suber also turned in a solid performance for the Dragons, playing a career-high 42 minutes and also topping her career-high marks with five assists and three steals. The victory is Drexel's second overtime triumph this season. The Dragons also won in overtime at Siena this year. The win also snapped a two-game losing skid and improved Drexel's record to 3-0 against Monmouth all time.
