Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Colorado
Dragons Leave Their Mark on Host Buffaloes in Comeback Win at Colorado's Coors Classic Tournament
11/29/2008 9:37:31 PM | Women's Basketball
Boulder, Colo. – After being shackled with foul trouble through 12 minutes in the first half, Gabriela Marginean broke free in the second to score 26 of her game-high 32 points and lead the Dragons (3-3) to a 67-63 come-from-behind victory over the host Colorado (2-3) in the consolation game of the Coors Classic Tournament. Marginean scored the Dragons' final 12 points including a driving layup with 17 seconds left to break a 63-63 tie. On the Buffs' next trip down the court, Marginean perfectly timed a swipe and sprinted to the opposite end for the game-sealing layup. Drexel trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half before battling back for its first ever win against a Big 12 opponent.
Marginean finished a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line, all in the second half, to tie a CU Coors Classic Tournament record for free tosses without a miss. Jasmina Rosseel was the Dragons' second leading scorer with 10 points. She set a tournament record for three-point attempts and knocked down a key trey in the second half during the final run that allowed Drexel come back for the win.
Trailing 40-27 just under five minutes into the second half, Drexel used a 15-3 run to trim the Buffaloes' lead to just one point at 43-42 on a Marginean layup at the 10:45 mark. Colorado responded by pounding the ball inside to its 6-4 center Kara Richards on three straight possessions and pushing its advantage to 53-46 with 7:32 left.
Undeterred, the Dragons battled back with a three-pointer by Rosseel and two more by Andrea Peterson and hometown hero Kamile Nacickaite over the next two minutes to trim Colorado's lead to three points with five and a half minutes to play. Marginean took over form there.
On the Buffs' next possession Marginean drew the fifth foul on Richards after getting slammed to the ground in a battle for a defensive rebound. She converted both free throws to cut Colorado's lead to two points. On the next trip down the court Marginean fought for a steal in the post, resulting in two more free throws which tied the game at 59 apiece with 4:46 remaining. On Drexel's next possession Marginean earned a third straight trip to the line after being fouled on a drive. Once again she made both free throws to give Drexel its first lead in the game since early in the first half.
Colorado was able to tie the game at 61-61 when Britney Spears drove the lane and drew Marginean's fourth foul of the game. She converted one of two free throws with 2:27 remaining. A mid-range jumper by Marginean put Drexel back on top, but Spears would answer with a driving layup, tying the game at 63-63 and setting up the game's dramatic conclusion.
The Dragons held on for their tournament lives in the first half of play and went into the locker room trailing 29-21 despite playing without Marginean for the final 12 minutes of the half due to foul trouble. Drexel built and early 15-9 lead with Marginean and Stjarnstrom hitting their shots early. But when Marginean contracted her second foul of the game and took a seat on the bench, the Dragons would go the duration of the half without a field goal. Drexel shot 12-for-14 from the line in the period to keep within striking distance of the Buffaloes, but turnovers on 10 of their final 17 possessions did little to help their cause.
Drexel committed just four turnovers in the second half and shot 53.3 percent from the floor to outscore Colorado 46-34 in the period.
The Dragons also outworked the Buffs on the boards 34-31 led by Marginean's eight rebounds and six apiece by Peterson and Rosseel. Jennifer Stjarnstrom and Brooke Cornish combined to play solid post defense on Richards, limiting her to 12 points and four boards. Stjarnstrom, who played a season-high 20 minutes, provided early energy for the Dragons by hitting a jumper, converting a pair of free-throws and blocking a shot in the first period.
Freshman Alyssa Fressle led Colorado with 19 points, 12 in the first half, to go with three assists, three steals and a block. Fressle matched up against Kamile Nacickaite in last season's Colorado High School State Championship, a game that Fressle's Highlands Ranch team won.
Marginean earned a place on the All-Tournament team after her performance on the weekend. Drexel returns to Philadelphia next week, ending a four-game road swing, to host Army at the DAC on Dec. 5 at 4:00 p.m.
