Drexel University
William & Mary
Dragons' Defense Stifles Tribe For 54-38 Victory
2/21/2008 8:55:55 PM | Women's Basketball
Williamsburg, Va. - Gabriela Marginean put together her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead Drexel to its third straight victory, a 54-38 victory over William & Mary (11-15, 5-9). Drexel (15-10, 10-4) held the Tribe to its lowest scoring total of the season while pulling away for the win after building a 26-11 first-half lead. Narissa Suber matched Marginean's 15 points, and knocked down four three-pointers. CAA Rookie of the Week Jasmina Rosseel came off the bench to score 13 points, nine of them in the first half.
Both teams got off to a slow shooting start in the contest as the game remained scoreless through the first three minutes of play. The difference in the contest was Drexel getting its offense started before the Tribe could get a friendly bounce on their home baskets. William & Mary finished the game shooting 25 percent from the floor after a first half in which the team made just four field goals and shot 15 percent.
Drexel pulled down a season-high 45 rebounds, led by Marginean's 14 caroms. The Dragons shot just 37.5 percent in the contest but it was more than enough to push past the cold-shooting Tribe. Drexel held 2005-06 CAA Player of the Year Kyra Kaylor to a season-low two points on 1-for-8 shooting from the floor.
Drexel held the Tribe without a field goal for the first 11 minutes of the game. But the Dragons held only a slim 12-7 lead with seven minutes remaining despite the fact that William & Mary was shooting just 11 percent from the floor.
Rosseel energized the Dragons by coming off the bench to score seven straight points. Marginean pushed Drexel's lead to 18-9 with a driving baseline layup followed by a breakaway layup after a steal in the lane. Rosseel closed out the period with a full-court drive for a pull-up jumper at the free-throw line to send Drexel into the lockers with a 26-11 lead. Drexel pulled down 22 rebounds in the period which was only two fewer than they had in their last game.
Drexel pushed its lead to as much as 22 points in the second half when Rosseel found herself with the ball in her hands and three second on the shot clock. The freshman calmly threw a head fake, sending her defender flying past her, took a dribble to the right and drilled a long three-pointer as the shot clock expired, making it a 46-24 game with 9:57 remaining.
The Dragons bench combined to score 20 of the team's 54 points. Senior Anora Suber turned in a solid performance, playing 23 minutes in place of Nicole Hester who was in foul trouble early. Suber scored seven points on a three-pointer and a 4-for-4 shooting performance from the free-throw line.
Narissa Suber's four three-pointers in the game give her 299 in her career, just one shy of becoming the third player ever in CAA history to make 300 career treys.
Drexel completes its Virginia road trip with a game against CAA leader Old Dominion on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 2:00 p.m. the Lady Monarchs are currently ranked 10th in the nation.
