Drexel University
Towson
Marginean Scores 1,000th Point, Closes Out 68-63 Thriller Over Towson
2/28/2008 9:32:26 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia - Drexel sophomore Gabriela Marginean scored her 1,000th career point on a free-throw, three minutes and four seconds into the game and never looked back, pouring in a season-high 28 points in the Dragons' 68-63 victory over Towson (18-11, 10-6). Drexel did not have a field goal for the final 5:20 of the contest, but it was Marginean, hitting 9-of-10 free-throws during that stretch, who helped the Dragons hold on for a close win over the Tigers. The victory pulls Drexel ahead of Towson in the standings, but the Dragons (16-11) remain in a tie with Virginia Commonwealth for third place in the CAA with an 11-5 mark.
Marginean's 28 points matched her season-high performance which came against La Salle in the third game of the season. Jasmina Rosseel and Narissa Suber complemented her with 13 and 12 points respectively. The freshman-senior guard combination teamed up to bring the Dragons back from a near collapse midway through the second half. Drexel shot 50 percent from the floor in the contest and 46.7 percent (7-15) from deep. The Dragons outrebounded Towson 32-29, but the Tigers pulled down 16 boards on the offensive glass to Drexel's seven. Towson was able to come back in the game due to a season-high 24 Drexel turnovers which led to 35 Tiger points.
In a microcosm of her career, Marginean quickly played her way into the school and conference record books, scoring Drexel's first five points of the game to reach the 1,000-point plateau faster than anyone in the history of the program. She matched Old Dominion's Clarisse Machanaguana as the fastest players in CAA history to score 1,000 points, accomplishing the feat in 58 games. But it was Marginean's play at the close of the contest that was pivotal to the Dragons' victory.
After squandering a lead that swelled as large as 18 points in the first half, Drexel found itself clinging to a one-point advantage with 1:308 left in the game. Coming out of a timeout, Jasmina Rosseel, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half to bring the Dragons back from the brink of collapse, hoisted up a three-pointer from the wing. Her shot went just long, however, but Marginean pulled down the offensive rebound in the lane and immediately went back up with it to draw the foul. The nation's leading free-throw shooter stepped to the line and, like she'd done 31 consecutive times before, calmly sunk both free tosses.
The free-throws put Drexel on top 62-59, but a tenacious Tigers squad attacked the basket and got to the line to make it a two-point game with 28 seconds left. Towson's pressure defense, which forced the Dragons into a season-high 24 turnovers and 14 in the second half, proved to be its undoing as the Tigers were whistled for fouls down the stretch while attempting to trap the Dragons as they brought the ball up the court. Marginean, who had made 15 straight free-throws until the final second of the game, made 5-of-6 in the final 21 seconds.
Drexel's first-half play did little to foreshadow the game's thrilling conclusion. The Draogns opened up the contest with a 22-4 scoring run and held Towson without a field goal for a span of just over five minutes while building an 18-point lead. After Marginean hit her milestone, Anora Suber took over, reeling off eight straight points on a driving scoop layup followed by a pair of three-pointers to give Drexel a 15-4 lead just under six minutes into the game.
The Dragons made eight of their first 11 shots and finished the half shooting a sizzling 54.2 percent. Drexel's defense held Towson to 25 percent shooting (7-for-28) in the first half, which negated the Tigers' ability to get into their full-court press. Towson turned the ball over 11 times in the first half and Drexel capitalized for 10 points off the give-aways.
The tables turned in the second half, as Towson was able to get into their defense and force the Dragons into 14 turnovers, six in the first three minutes of the period. The Tigers' defense fed their offense during a 14-0 run that got Towson back into the game. An Omara Parker layup at the 14:26 mark put Towson on top for the first time in the game, 36-35.
Senior Narissa Suber stilled her team's composure by driving to the hoop and getting to the free-throw line. After a layup by Alis Freeman put Towson on top by one again, it was freshman Jasmina Rosseel who answered the call for the Dragons. The rookie twisted around two defenders in the lane to hit a leaner. She traded jumpers with Shanae Baker-Brice to keep Drexel on top by one then followed a Suber three-pointer by two of her own to give the Dragons a comfortable seven-point cushion, 50-43, with 7:24 remaining. Drexel would push its lead to 10 points on a Marginean jumper at the 5:20 mark. This would be the Dragons' last field goal of the game, however, as Towson started its rally.
Drexel plays its final home game of the season on Sunday, March 3. The Dragons will honor seniors Narissa and Anora Suber, Delise Johnson, Stacy McCullough, Anna Karlsson and Brittany Cunningham prior to the 1:00 tip against George Mason as part of Senior Day festivities.
