Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Towson
Dragons Blow Past Towson 60-41 on Homecoming at the DAC
1/25/2009 3:08:10 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia - Drexel used its best shooting game of the season, 58.3 percent from the floor, and a combination of 19 points from Gabriela Marginean and 15 from Jasmina Rosseel to dispatch Towson (11-6, 3-4) 60-41 on Homecoming at the DAC. Shanae Baker-Brice led the Tigers with 14 points and three assists. The Dragons improve to 10-8 on the season and 5-2 in CAA play. The contest was viewed by a regional television audience on The Comcast Network.
After a sloppy start that included six turnovers in the first three minutes of play, Drexel settled itself to make 11-of-19 shots in the first half (57.9 percent) and recover from a seven-point deficit in the early going of the contest. While the Tigers' pressure defense pestered the Dragons into committing 22 turnovers, Drexel's defense in half-court sets provided the lift it needed to pull away for a sizeable win. The Dragons held Towson to just 27.1 percent shooting from the floor and 18.8 percent from deep.
Trailing 9-2 after a rash of early turnovers, Drexel used a steal and a break-away layup by Jasmina Rosseel to swing the momentum. Marginean reeled off three straight buckets to put Drexel on top 10-9 at the 14:32 mark. While the Dragons would struggle through a stretch of more than five an a half minutes without a score, their play on the defensive end of the court kept Towson from pulling ahead. By the time Brooke Cornish splashed in a 19-footer from the wing, momentum had clearly shifted toward the navy blue and gold.
Drexel opened the second half with a 13-4 run to push its lead to a comfortable 17 points before Towson's high-powered offense, led by speedy guard Shanae Baker-Brice, kicked in to gear. The Tigers would use five points from Baker-Brice and a long three by Brandy Black to spark an 8-2 run and trim Drexel's lead to 12 points midway through the period.
But Marginean would answer the call for the Dragons yet again, driving the land for a contested layup and following it with a spin move into the paint to free herself for a pull-up jumper. Marisa Crane came off the bench to energize the team as well. Her steal and sprint-out layup forced a Towson time-out and less than a minute later her hanging mid-range jumper found its mark to put Drexel on top 54-35. Cornish drained another shot from long range to give the Dragons their largest lead of the game, 57-35, with 5:29 left on the clock.
Drexel's victory preserves the Dragons' sterling 4-0 mark in conference home games this season. It is also their sixth straight victory in televised contests. In a rivalry that has been hotly contested in recent years, the 19-point Drexel win was the Dragons' largest victory over the Tigers since the 2001-02 season. Towson had won four of its last five against Drexel, including two of three last year and a season-ending victory over the Dragons in the CAA Tournament.
The largest women's basketball crowd at the DAC this season was in attendance to watch the proceedings. Among the fans were Drexel women's basketball alumni, back on campus for Homecoming Weekend. Throngs of Girl Scouts from Philadelphia-area troops also helped populate the DAC. The youngsters joined volunteers from Drexel Greek Life for crafts and face-painting prior to the game and also had the opportunity to meet the Dragons after the game.
The Dragons embark on a three-game road swing next week when they travel to play at Hofstra on Thursday, Jan. 29 before traveling to Wilmington, N.C. next weekend.
