Drexel University
Towson
Scanlon's Jumper Lifts Dragons To Victory
2/19/2006 12:00:00 AM
Towson, Md.- Catherine Scanlon dodged diving Towson defenders and cooly banked in a jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining to give Drexel (12-12, 7-8 CAA) a 63-61 victory over the Tigers (8-16, 3-12 CAA).
The senior forward tied a season high with 21 points, but none were bigger than the last two which came after Drexel rebounded a missed free throw by Jamell Beasley and got a timeout with 5.3 ticks left in the game. Narissa Suber shook herself free coming off a screen to catch the inbounds pass. She shoveled the ball to Scanlon in the post as a Towson defender dove to break up the pass. Scanlon collected herself amidst the defenders to hit what would be the game winner. Towson threw an inbounds pass the length of the court but Scanlon tipped the ball to Jackie Falson to break up the play and secure Drexel's 12th win of the season.
Falson dished out a season-high eight assists with just one turnover in the contest. Nicole Hester and Narissa Suber both put in 11 points. Delise Johnson came off the bench to score eight second-half points and energize the Dragons in a tight contest that saw 21 lead changes and 10 ties. Candice Williams contributed a solid performance on defense, collecting a block, a pair of steals and tying for the team lead with seven rebounds.
Tierra Jackson led the Tigers with 17 points but fouled out of the contest with 1:40 on the clock.
Drexel led by as many as seven points in the second half when Falson snuck through the lane to put back a Scanlon miss. The acrobatic tip-in made the score 51-44 in Drexel's favor with just over eight minutes to play. But Towson would tenaciously go on a 12-5 run to take a brief lead at 56-55 with 2:56 left.
Narissa Suber hit a key baseline jumper to put Drexel back in the lead at 56-55. Trailing 60-59 with 26 seconds left, Hester grabbed an offensive rebound and knocked down close-range jumper to give Drexel a 61-60 advantage and set up the final sequence.
The Dragons continued their solid shooting, making 45 percent of their shots from the field. Drexel edged Towson on the boards 33-31.
The Dragons return to Philadelphia for a pair of home games next weekend.
