Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Richmond
Spiders' Second-Half Surge Downs Dragons, 73-60
12/22/2008 3:03:31 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia - Drexel saw an eight-point lead vanish in the opening minutes of the second half as Richmond (10-1) used 60 percent shooting from the floor and 21 points from Brittani Shells in the period to pull away for a 73-60 victory over the Dragons (4-5). Gabriela Marginean led Drexel with 28 points and a career-high tying four three-pointers. Kamile Nacickaite chipped in 14 point and a game-high nine rebounds in her first career start. Jasmina Rosseel added 12 on four three-pointers.
Drexel led 33-27 at halftime and pushed its advantage to eight points on a pair of Marginean free throws early in the second period. Richmond responded with a 9-0 spurt fueled by the jump shots of Johanna McKnight and Brittani Shells. The Dragons' zone defense, which frustrated the Spiders into shooting 35.7 percent in the first half, was victimized by a series of mid-range jumpers that got Richmond back into the game.
A trio of three-pointers by Rosseel and Marginean on consecutive possessions held off Richmond until the 11:34 mark when a McKnight three-pointer from the corner gave the Spiders the lead for good. Richmond pushed its lead to 13 points after a three-point play by Shells capped a 10-0 run. Shells knocked down her first four shots of the second half and finished 6-for-7 from the floor in the period.
The Dragons showed their fire in the first half to battle back from an eight-point deficit with seven and a half minutes remaining. Drexel appeared to have bottomed out after a pair of perimeter pick-offs that resulted in break-away layups for the Spiders. Abby Oliver followed the poaches with a three-pointer and Nikita Thomas put back a miss to make it a 21-13 Richmond lead.
But Drexel responded immediately with a 10-0 run ignited by a three-pointer on the win by Nacickaite. Marginean followed with a pair of free throws and a three-point play to knot the score at 21 apiece. Richmond found a wrinkle in the zone and exposed it with two three-pointers to take back a brief two-point lead. Drexel would close the half with seven unanswered points capped by a three-pointer by Rosseel that brought the crowd to its feet with 16 seconds left.
The Dragons outshot Richmond in the first half, converting 40 percent from the field and shooting 4-for-9 from deep. Drexel also held a slight 17-15 rebounding edge over the Spiders at the break. Richmond would finish the game 47.7 percent from the field after shooting 60 percent in the second half (15-25).
Drexel closes out non-conference play with a pair of games at the Saint Joseph's Hawk Classic at Philadelphia University. The Dragons play Holy Cross at 2:00 on Sunday, Dec. 28 and face former America East foe Maine at 4:00 on Monday.
