Drexel University
Old Dominion
Dragons' Upset Bid Falls Short Against Old Dominion
3/9/2007 2:35:25 PM | Women's Basketball
Newark, Del - Narissa Suber exploded for 20 points and scored 10 of them during a Drexel run that trimmed what had been a 14-point Old Dominion lead to just six points with three and a half minutes remaining. But the Lady Monarchs (23-8) closed out the game with strong post play to pull away for a 66-55 victory, continuing their run of dominance in the CAA Tournament. Drexel wraps up its season having won four of its last six games to finish with a 10-21 record. Gabriela Marginean compiled her third straight double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the contest, becoming the first player in Drexel history to score 500 points in her freshman campaign.
The Dragons kept the game close through the first 20 minutes of play. A pair of free throws by Marginean at the 5:06 mark tied the game at 21-21. But Old Dominion closed out the half with a 13-2 run. Alison Lupariello's free throws cut what had been an 11-point Lady Monarch lead to nine at the break. Drexel was able to hang in the contest by forcing 13 Old Dominion turnovers. Marginean had 10 points and eight rebounds at the break. Old Dominion outshot Drexel 41 percent t to 31 percent from the floor which, along with the Lady Monarchs' 17 points off 13 Drexel turnovers, were the difference in the period.
Drexel opened the second half with a 10-2 run to cut Old Dominion's advantage to 38-35 five minutes into the period. Narissa Suber knocked down four free throws and hit a jumper during the spurt. Old Dominion settled itself by turning to its post game. Sherida Triggs and Tiffany Green combined to score 21 of the Lady Monarachs' 32 points in the second half. Triggs reeled off 10 straight for Old Dominion to put her team back on top by 11 points. A layup by Green gave Old Dominion its biggest lead of the game at 14 points, with 9"12 remaining.
The Dragons responded, however, when Narissa Suber shook herself free on a screen and drilled a long three-pointer. She threaded a pass to Marginean for a layup in the post, then stepped in to hit a mid-range jumper after a scramble for a loose ball to make it a seven-point game with 4:41 left. Green kept Drexel at bay with a pair of layups on consecutive possessions, converting one of two opportunites for a three-point play.
Drexel set itself up for one final run when Narissa Suber lead a fast break down the floor and cooly dished the ball to a sprinting Delise Johnson who finished with an acrobatic layup to make the score 57-51 with three and a half minutes to play. Peterson drove the baseline for a tough layup on Drexel's next trip down to keep it a six-point game. But a three-point attempt by Kira Karlstrom that would have narrowed the lead to three points, missed the mark with under two minutes and the Dragons had to foul to stop the clock which allowed Old Dominion to pull away from the free-throw line.
Both teams committed just four turnovers in the second half. Old Dominion held a 37-32 edge on the boards and shot 17-for-19 from the free-throw line. T.J. Jordan, who lit up the nets from long range early in the game, led Old Dominion with 17 points.
Gabriela Marginean completed one of the best rookie campaigns in Drexel history. She finished with a freshman-record 515 points and grabbed the third most rebounds ever by a rookie at Drexel. Narissa Suber fell just four threes short of tying her single-season mark for three-pointers.
