Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Georgia State
Marginean and Rosseel Lead Dragons to Eighth Straight Win, 72-53, at Georgia State
2/15/2009 4:06:21 PM | Women's Basketball
Atlanta, Ga. - Gabriela Marginean led all scorers with 29 points and Jasmina Rosseel added 20 on 5-for-8 three-point shooting as Drexel rolled to its eighth straight victory, 72-53, against the Georgia State Panthers. The Dragons improve to 16-8 overall and 11-2 in CAA play. They are now tied for first place in the CAA with Virginia Commonwealth, who defeated James Madison today and also has an 11-2 mark in the conference.
Drexel led 33-25 at halftime, but used a 17-5 run to open the second half and jump out to 20-point advantage midway through the period. Drexel shot 50 percent from the floor and held the Panthers to 30.5 percent shooting. Georgia State narrowly edged Drexel on the boards 35-34 but held a sizeable advantage on the offensive glass 17-8.
Marginean's performance moved her into sole possession of second place on Drexel's all-time scoring list with at least a half a dozen games left in her junior year. Jasmina Rosseel moved into third place all-time in three-pointers at Drexel with her five threes in the game. The victory gives Drexel a regular-season sweep of Georgia State.
The Dragons led by as much as 12 points in the first half. But Georgia State frustrated the Dragons on the offensive boards and converted nine offensive boards into 10 second-chance points to keep the game within reach at the half, 33-25. Marginean had 17 points in the first period and was 8-for-9 from the free-throw stripe at the break.
Drexel exploded out of the locker room, reeling off a 17-5 run to open up a 50-30 lead on a transition layup Marginean with just over 13 minutes left in the game. As Drexel packed in its zone, the Panthers were forced to shoot from the outside. Georgia State was not hitting its long-range shots, however, making just 1-of-9 attempts from distance in the second half.
Where the Panthers found success was on offensive rebounding and scoring in the paint. Georgia State drew an reaching foul on Marginean at the 7:48 mark, sending her to the bench with four personal fouls. The Panthers went on a 9-2 run and trimmed Drexel's lead to 12 points with its leading scorer on the bench.
But Rosseel and Marginean's substitute Jennifer Stjarnstrom came up big in her stead. Stjarnstrom scored four of her six points during Marginean's absence and Rosseel knocked down two of her five three-pointers to keep Drexel in the driver's seat down the stretch.
The Dragons are back in action on Thursday when they return to the DAC to face rival Delaware at 7:00 p.m.
