Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
American
Marginean Scores 31 But Dragons Fall at American in Season Opener
11/16/2008 4:05:57 PM | Women's Basketball
Washington, D.C. - Gabriela Marginean scored 22 of her game-high 31 points in the second half, but her spurt was not enough to bring the Dragons back from a 15-point first-half deficit as Drexel lost its season opener 74-65 to the American Eagles (2-0). Freshman Kamile Nacickaite chipped in 11 points in her first collegiate game. Michelle Kirk led the Eagles in scoring with 18 points.
Drexel pulled out to an early lead in the first half as Jasmina Rosseel knocked down her first three three-point attempts. Rosseel's third trey gave the Dragons a 16-11 lead before early-season jitters combined with tenacious pressure defense by the Eagles kicked in to cause a flurry of Drexel turnovers.
The miscues, 11 of them in the first half for the Dragons, cued a 27-7 run by American. Nicole Ryan capped the barrage with a three-pointer from just over half court that banked in as the first-half buzzer sound, sending the Eagles into the locker room with a 38-23 lead.
The Dragons used some pressure of their own to force three early turnovers in the second half and capitalize to trim American's lead to eight points midway through the period. A jumper by Marginean followed up by two Andrea Peterson free throws at the 8:54 mark cut American's lead to just two points at 48-46. But a three-point play and a half-court steal for a break-away layup by Kirk keyed a 14-4 American run that put the game out of reach for the Dragons.
Marginean finished the game 13-of-25 from the floor and 9-for-15 in the second half. She also led the Dragons with eight rebounds on the game. Her 31-point performance is the second-highest offensive output of her career, beind only her record-setting 47-point performance in Drexel's five-overtime win over Northeastern on Feb. 22, 2007. Freshman Marisa Crane and senior Andrea Peterson led the team with four assists apiece.
Drexel returns to Philadelphia to play its home opener against cross town rival Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
