Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Dayton
Streaking Dayton Runs Past Dragons, 60-50
12/8/2007 3:08:40 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia - Dayton (8-2) jumped out to an early lead in the first half and held off the Dragons in the second half to push its winning streak to eight straight games with a 60-50 victory over Drexel (1-6). Jasmina Rosseel led the Dragons with 16 points, six rebounds and three steals and Narissa Suber added 14 points on 2-for-3 shooting from long range.
Rebounding made the difference in the game as Dayton pulled down 22 boards to Drexel's 10 in the first half. The Flyers converted 10 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points in the period, which accounted for Dayton's 29-19 lead going into the locker room. Dayton played well defensively on Drexel's leading scorer Gabriela Marginean, holding the sophomore without a point or a rebound in the first half.
Drexel took a brief lead at the 12:28 mark in the first period when Rosseel drove the lane and slid a pass out to Suber who spotted up at the three-point line for an open trey. Brooke Cornish followed with a jumper from close range on the next trip down the court to put Drexel on top. But the Dragons' 11-10 advantage was short-lived as Dayton's Kiki Lund and Kendel Ross came off the bench to nail back-to-back three-pointers to put their team back in command.
Dayton never trailed from that point and managed to push the lead to as much as 15 points in the second half. Marginean did not get on the board until just over four and a half minutes into the second stanza, which was a clear indicator of Drexel's scoring woes in the contest.
Marginean did manage to spark the Dragons in the second half with a jumper and a pair of layups that helped trim the Flyers' lead to eight points. Drexel used the full-court trap effectively at points during the period. The Dragons forced the Flyers into committing 17 turnovers in the game and took advantage to score 20 points as a result.
The teams played dead even in the second half and Drexel stepped up its rebounding efforts to match Dayton's 21 boards in the period. The Flyers effectively managed their lead, however, and never allowed Drexel to threaten the advantage. Nikki Oakland wore down Drexel's interior defenders with 21 points, 12 of which came on layups. She also pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Flyers in that category.
Senior guard Stacy McCullough made her first career start in the contest and helped elevate the Dragons intensity during her career-high 29 minutes on the court. She pulled down three boards, two on the offensive glass, and snared a steal, in addition to making an important hustle play to tie up a loose ball on Dayton's side of the court in the first half.
Drexel is back in action on Dec. 16 when the Dragons travel to play Monmouth at 2:00 p.m.
