Dragons Outlast Delaware in Double-Overtime Classic

Sunday, January 17

Newark, Del.

2:00

Drexel University

Delaware

Stjarnstrom came up with a clutch put-back layup in the final seconds of double overtime to help Drexel clinch the victory.

Dragons Outlast Delaware in Double-Overtime Classic

1/17/2010 4:43:29 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Newark, Del. - Jennifer Stjarnstrom put back a missed three-pointer by Jasmina Rosseel with 23 seconds left in double-overtime to give Drexel its first lead of the period and Marisa Crane closed out the contest with a pair of free throws with five seconds on the clock to give Drexel (10-6, 4-1) a thrilling 70-67 double-overtime victory at Delaware (11-5, 3-2). Gabriela Marginean and Rosseel finished with 20 points apiece. Kamile Nacickaite scored 11 and pulled in a career-high 13 boards and Crane, who came up huge in the clutch, scored a career-best 11 points in the win. Delaware was led by Elena Delle Donne's 27 points.

The Dragons played the majority of the overtime periods without the services of starting forwards Marginean and Tyler Hale, who both fouled out in the first overtime.

Delaware appeared to have the game in hand when, with 1:54 left in the first overtime, Delle Donne connected with a three-pointer while Marginean was whistled for her fifth foul. The four-point play put Delaware up 53-50. The Hens would expand that lead to 55-50 seconds later when Delle Donne knocked down two more from the free-throw line.

But, undeterred, Kamile Nacickaite drove the lane for a layup with 48 seconds left. After Delaware hit one of two free throws on its end to make it a 56-52 game, Crane drove the lane and kicked the ball to an open Rosseel for a look at a three-pointer. Her shot caromed long and Crane collected the rebound in the lane, then drove again and found Nacickaite on the wing for a trey that drew the Dragons within one point with 23.6 seconds left.

Kayla Miller answered with two free throws on Delaware's end of the court to put the Hens up by three, 58-55. Crane, who clearly stepped up as Drexel's floor leader in this contest, again drove the lane and found Rosseel at the top of the arc. This time the junior's hoist sailed true, finding the bottom of the net to knot the game at 58-58 and send it into an improbable second overtime when a heave by Delle Donne bounced wide as time expired.

Delaware drilled three pointers on three straight possessions to open the second extra period and take a 64-60 lead. But Drexel answered each trifecta with a bucket of its own. Nacickaite drove for a layup and a foul, converting a three-point play, cutting Delaware's lead to 64-63 with under three minutes to play. On the next trip down, a Rosseel three-pointer from the corner offset a three by Miller, making it a 67-66 game with 1:45 to play.

The Dragons closed down Delaware on defense and forced a missed jumper by Miller. Hollie Mershon gathered the board with 48 seconds to go to give Drexel the ball. On Drexel's possession, Crane drove the lane for a layup, but was rejected by Delle Donne, who led Delaware with six blocks in the game. Rosseel found an open look on the resulting in bounds play, but her shot was wide to the right. Stjarnstrom swooped in to grab the board and, finding herself open on the right block, secured the ball and banked home the shot with 23.9 seconds on the clock to put Drexel on top 68-67.

Mershon, who pulled in a season-best eight boards, would again come down with a big defensive rebound, this time off a miss by Delle Donne. With ball in hand, Crane drew the quick foul from Delaware and calmly drained both free throws to give her team its fifth straight win over Delaware.

The game, which was a match-up of two of the CAA's marquee players, treated fans to a contest that lived up to its billing. Delle Donne and Marginean, two of the Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 players in the nation squared off in the final seconds of regulation

A three-pointer by Lauren Carra from the top of the arc with 29.6 seconds left knotted the game at 43-43 apiece. Drexel brought the ball up court and set up a sideline play with 8.7 seconds left. Marginean took the in-bounds pass and spun her way down the right side of the lane. She went up for a layup, but was promptly met by the outstretched arm of Delle Donne, who slapped the ball out of bounds with 4.7 seconds left.

The ensuing pass from under the basket found its way to Marginean in the post. But as the senior backed her way in, she was welcomed by a waiting Delaware double team and whistled for an offensive foul with 3.2 seconds left.

A mid-court hurl by Delle Donne just missed winning the game after banking off the back board and the rim, sending the game into overtime tied at 58-58 and setting up the dramatic overtime conclusion.

Drexel outshot Delaware in the game 36.1 percent to 34.5 and the Dragons put home 55.6 percent of their offerings in the overtime periods. The Dragons outworked Delaware on the boards 50-41 and 18-12 on the offensive glass, led by Stjarnstrom's four offensive boards.

The Dragons led 20-19 at halftime in a period which served as an accurate scene-setter for this hotly contested game. Crane asserted herself from the point guard position in the first half, using her speed to push the ball and create open shots for her teammates. Crane's prowess in the first half was on full display when with eight and a half minutes left she stole the ball at the top of the arc. She then keyed an offensive set that saw her carve into the Delaware defense from the left wing and shovel a pass to Marginean for an open layup to cap a 15-5 Drexel run and put the Dragons on top 18-13.

The Dragons received a defensive lift from Stjärnström coming off the bench. While the team weathered a scoring drought of more than five and a half minutes, the senior forward came up with two blocks and disrupted a fast break that would have resulted in a Delaware score, helping to keep Drexel on top by the narrowest of margins going into the break.

Stjarnstrom's hustled continued in the second half when she and Mershon teamed up to horde three straight offensive rebounds on a single Drexel possession, resulting in a three-point play by Marginean at the 14:52 mark. Bolstered by the energy of its scrambling forwards, the Dragons propelled themselves on an 11-0 run to pull ahead 35-27 on a driving jumper by Crane with 12:21 on the clock.

Nacickaite, who started the game ice cold, missing her first 12 shots, found her stroke at the most opportune time. She connected with a three-pointer at the 4:43 mark to put Drexel up seven, 40-33. Marginean and Tesia Harris, who finished with 11 points for Delaware, would trade three-pointers over the next two possessions before Marginean came up with a steal with two minutes left in regulation and the Dragons on top 43-40.

Unfortunately, Delaware's defense would clamp down in the waning minute of the second half, allowing Carra's three-pointer to stand as the game-tying bucket that would ticket the game for overtime.

The dual 20-point performances by Marginean and Rosseel was the first time two Dragons reached the 20-point scoring mark in the same game since the same pair did it against Georgia State on Feb. 15, 2009. Marginean's 20 points moved her ahead of Michael Anderson ('88) as the all-time career scoring leader in the history of Drexel Basketball.

Stjarnstrom matched her season-highs with six points, six boards, two blocks and a steal in her best performance of the year. In addition to her career-high 11 points, Crane led the Dragons with six assists, four steals and also grabbed five rebounds.

The contest was Drexel's first double-overtime game since its NCAA-record 5OT win over Northeastern on Feb. 22, 2007. The Dragons have emerged victorious in their last four overtime contests and eight of their last nine extra-period affairs. The win continues Drexel's winning streak over Delaware and marks the Dragons second straight CAA road win. Drexel is now in a two-way tie for second place in the CAA standings with Old Dominion, who shares the Dragons' 4-1 record in conference play.

Drexel returns to the DAC on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. tip against George Mason before hosting first-place VCU on Sunday in a noon contest that will be televised live on The Comcast Network.