Drexel University
Towson
Dragons Win Third-Straight to Advance in the CAA Tournament
3/8/2006 12:00:00 AM
Fairfax, Va. - Catherine Scanlon put together her seventh double-double of the season, leading Drexel to a 61-46 victory over Towson in the opening round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. The Dragons advance to play James Madison in the quarterfinals tomorrow at noon.
Narissa Suber scored seven points in each half, finishing with 14. Nicole Hester scored nine of her 10 points in the second half, at times carrying the offense with her ability to get to the hoop.
Drexel opened with at 15-2 run in the first half and led by as many as 17 in the period. Towson went on a 8-0 run in the final two minutes of the period to cut it to 30-21 at halftime. But the Dragons put together two solid periods of shooting, knocking down 50 percent (12-24) in the first half and following it with a 46 percent performance in the second. Drexel held Towson to 26 percent shooting in the first period and even a 42 percent performance in the second half was not enough to get the Tigers back in the game.
Towson made a run to open the second half, led by its leading scorer Jamell Beasley who led the team with 11 points, cutting the lead to 38-31. But Scanlon steadied her team with a long jumper from the corner off a Falson drive. Then Suber knocked down her second three of the game to make it 43-31 in Drexel's favor.
From there, Hester kept Drexel in control by scoring seven points on the next three possessions driving the lane for lay-ups and converting one foul shot. At the seven minute mark, Hester knifed her way toward the hoop again but this time she dished to Falson on the wing. The senior knocked down her second three of the game to put Drexel on top by 13 points at 51-38, effectively sealing the win for the Dragons.
Candice Williams worked hard to establish her dominance of the post in the second half. She rejected two shots and grabbed four offensive rebounds, giving her nine in the game, while helping to clog the lane for Towson's forwards. Drexel worked hard on the glass, outrebounding Towson 39-24 overall and 26-15 in defensive rebounds. Williams finished with nine boards to compliment Scanlon's 13 caroms.
Suber's pair of treys give her 83 on the season. The sharpshooter has now put together the fourth best long-range shooting season in CAA history.
The Dragons matched their longest win streak of the season with the win and it is the third-straight game that Drexel has held its opponent below 50 points. Drexel is now 3-0 against Towson all-time in the CAA Tournament. Thursdays' game will give the Dragons a chance to avenge a two-point loss suffered to James Madison in Philadelphia earlier this season.
Tip time is set for 12:00 p.m. and it can be heard live on www.drexeldragons.com. The radio broadcast, on WNTP 990 AM can be heard on tape delay at 2:30 p.m.
