Drexel University
UNC Wilmington
Free Throws Prove to be Costly at UNCW
2/12/2006 12:00:00 AM
Wilmington, N.C - Drexel (10-12, 5-8 CAA) held UNC Wilmington to just two second-half field goals but the Seahawks (13-9, 7-6 CAA) scored 26 points from the free-throw line for a 53-41 victory.
Narissa Suber led the Dragons with 14 points including three three-pointers in the second half, but she was the only Dragon to reach double-figures. After trailing 23-16 at halftime Drexel opened the second period with a 9-2 run to take a brief lead at 28-27. Suber scored eight-straight points during a four-and-a-half-minute stretch to keep Drexel ahead, 34-33, at the 10-minute mark.
Drexel held UNC Wilmington without a field goal for the first eight minutes and 22 seconds of the second half, but the Seahawks drew enough fouls to enter the bonus with 12 minutes left in the period. With nearly nine minutes left in the game UNC Wilmington was shooting two free throws for every Drexel foul. The Seahawks capitalized, shooting 32-for-36 in the game and scoring 26 points from the line in the second half. The slough of free throws made up for the team's 10 percent (2-19) shooting from the field.
Catherine Scanlon, who was held to seven points, hit her first field goal of the second half at the 3:53 mark to draw the score to 41-37. This was as close as the Dragons would get in the closing minutes as UNC Wilmington would make 12-straight free throws in the last two minutes of play to close out the win.
The game was marred by cool shooting from the floor. The Seahawks held a slight edge, shooting 26.3 percent to Drexel's 25.9 percent. The Seahawks outrebounded the Dragons 47-29.
The Seahawks held Drexel to its lowest first-half total of the season, 16 points as the Dragons shot 22 percent from the floor, including going 3-for-14 from deep. Drexel took just nine shots that were not three-pointers in the half. The team struggled through a six-minute and 13-second stretch without a field goal in the period but trailed by just seven points, 23-16, at the half.
Lori Drake and Stephanie Fernald led the Seahawks with 11-points apiece. All of Fernald's 11 points came from the charity stripe. Alex Stewart put together a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double for UNC Wilmington who beat Drexel for the first time in the last four meetings.
The loss keeps Drexel in seventh place in the conference and secure's UNC Wilmington's spot in sixth place. Scanlon shot 1-for-5 from deep in the contest, she is just one three-pointer shy of becoming the fourth player in Drexel history to make 100 treys.
Drexel returns to Philadelphia to play Northeastern next Friday at 7:00 p.m.
