Drexel University
Virginia Commonwealth
Unkind Bounces Are Dragons' Undoing In 53-50 Loss to VCU
2/11/2007 4:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia, Pa. - Drexel saw a second straight game slip through its grasp when, with 9.5 seconds on the clock and Drexel (6-18, 1-12 CAA) trailing 52-50, Gabriela Marginean, the game's high scorer with 20 points, broke free for an open layup off an inbounds play. The ball hit the near rim off the backboard and caromed out and was collected by Virginia Commonwealth. Marginean had scored 10 of the Dragons' final 14 points to bring the team back from a seven-point deficit. After the Rams missed the second of two free throws, Marginean's heave from just past half court hit the front and back rim and bouncing out to end the game in 53-50 victory for Virginia Commonwealth (12-11, 5-8 CAA).
Marginean gave the Dragons their second lead of the game at the 5:39 mark when she rolled to the basket for a layup on the left side off a feed from Delise Johnson. The hoop put Drexel ahead 44-43 and capped an 8-0 personal run by Marginean which erased a seven-point Rams' lead. Johnson helped hold the Dragons' advantage with a long jumper and a layup in the post off a neatly threaded feed by Andrea Peterson, who set a career-high with seven assists in the game. Johnson's layup made it 48-47 in Drexel's favor with 4:17 remaining.
Drexel put reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Quanitra Hollingsworth on the line six times in the final four and half minutes. The 58-percent free-throw shooter made four of her six attempts to put VCU ahead by two, 50-48. Dragons interior defense kept Hollingsworth in check offensively for most of the game, limiting the towering forward to just nine points and seven rebounds, well under her season averages. Drexel's double teaming in the post also forced her to cough up a team-high four turnovers. But Hollingsworth answered the call defensively in the final minute when she swatted away two shots, including a layup attempt by Marginean that would have tied the game with under a minute remaining.
Hollingsworth's block of Marginean's would-be layup landed out of bounds, however, and the Dragons found Marginean under the basket for a layup on the ensuing inbounds pass to knot the game at 50-50 with 41 seconds left. On VCU's next trip down the court, Michele Cosel threaded a bullet pass to Kita Walker on the baseline. Narissa Suber challenged her to prevent the layup and committed a foul, putting Walker on the line for two shots. She converted both to push VCU ahead 52-50 and set up the final sequence of events.
Drexel held the Rams to just five field goals in the second half and 21 percent from the floor. But VCU stepped it up at the foul-line to make 15 of its 18 attempts. The Rams led by as much as eight points in the first half but the hot hand of Alison Lupariello kept the Dragons in the game. The freshman guard knocked down all three of her three-point attempts, including back-to-back treys with three minutes remaining to trim the Rams' lead down to two points at 24-22 with 2:29 remaining. VCU got a bucket an a pair of free throws to close out the half with a six point lead. The Dragons made just eight field goals in the half, but five of them were three-pointers which helped to keep the deficit manageable.
Marginean missed collecting her second straight double-double by one rebound. She shared the team lead with Kira Karlstrom who also pulled down nine boards. Eight of Karlstrom's caroms were gathered in the first half. Peterson and Karlstrom combined for 13 assists and just two turnovers in the contest.
The Dragons lost a similarly excruciating contest 55-52 at Towson on Thursday. Drexel's last three games, one win and two losses, have been decided by a combined nine points. The team now hits the road a pair of away games at Hofstra on Thursday, Feb. 15 and at UNC Wilmington on Sunday, Feb. 18.
