Drexel University
VCU
Falson Leads Dragons To Victory
2/5/2006 12:00:00 AM
Richmond, Va. - Drexel shot 24-28 from the free-throw line in the second half and Jackie Falson scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Dragons (10-10, 5-6 CAA) over Virginia Commonwealth (11-9, 4-7 CAA), 70-60.
Falson drilled three straight three-pointers in a first-half run by Drexel and Narissa Suber capped it with the team's fourth-consecutive trey to take a 24-12 lead at the 8:13 mark in the first period. Drexel had a 33-25 lead at halftime. Working against 6-foot-4 freshman phenom Quantrina Hollingsworth, Candice Williams matched her career-high with 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. She also held Hollingsworth below her season scoring average with 12 points while snaring two steals and blocking two shots.
The Dragons maintained a 10-point lead until midway through the second half when a Michelle Cosel three-point play keyed a 9-0 VCU run. A layup by Hollingsworth cut the Dragons' lead to just two points with a little over five minutes left to play. But Drexel weathered a 10 and a half minute stretch without a field goal thanks to 7-for-8 shooting from the line. Suber, who finished with 12 points in front of a hometown crowd from nearby Mechanicsville, Va., hit a runner in the lane to end the drought and guide Drexel to its 10th win of the season.
Drexel outrebounded the short-handed Rams 40-35 and outscored VCU 37-35 in the second half despite shooting just 26.1 percent from the floor. The win propelled Drexel into sole posession of seventh place, ahead of the Rams and a game behind William & Mary and UNC Wilmington.
Drexel returns to Philly to take on James Madison on Feb. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
