Women's Basketball Suffers First Loss of Season 63-54 at Virginia

Saturday, December 4

Charlottesville, Va.

7:00

Drexel University

Virginia

Women's Basketball Suffers First Loss of Season 63-54 at Virginia

12/4/2010 8:52:52 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Charlottesville, Va. - Kamile Nacickaite poured in 24 points, including a 6-for-8 shooting performance from deep, but it was not enough as the Dragons (5-1) came up just short in a 63-54 loss to ACC power Virginia (5-4) on the road. The loss is Drexel's first of the season after winning its first five contests. The Dragons ralled from a 19-point deficit in the second half and drew the game to within seven points with 4:21 to play, but the Cavaliers did enough to hold of Drexel's rally to claim the win. Chelsea Shine led the Cavaliers with 17 points, 14 of them coming in the first half on 7-for-12 shooting.

Jasmina Rosseel scored 11 points, all coming in the second half, and played a key role in the Dragons' late-game rally. Hollie Mershon came off the bench to contribute 10 points and a team-high five rebounds.

Drexel shot a season-low 34.5 percent in the game (19-55), but made 12-of-21 three-pointers to keep itself in the game. Virginia made half of its shots from the floor and drained 3-for-9, all in the second half. The Cavaliers also outreabouned the Dragons 36-30 and swatted away four Drexel shots. The Cavaliers availed themselves of a size advantage in the post, to score 30 of their 63 points in the paint. Forwards, Shine, Simone Eqwu and Telia McCall combined to 33 points for Virginia.

With the Cavaliers on top 56-37 and 7:37 left, Nacickaite sandwiched three-pointers over another long one from Mershon to cut it to 56-46 with 4:48 on the clock. On the next trip down, Fiona Flanagan curled off a screen at the top of the arc and rattled in another three-pointer to make it a 56-49 game.

Simone Eqwu missed a layup on Virginia's possession and a board by Nacickaite gave Drexel a chance to cut it to five points. Mershon drove the lane, going past her defender on the left side and put up a layup that bounced home. But the official's whistle sounded and as the Drexel bench eagerly awaited a chance for a three-point play, the Dragons were sorely dissappointed when the stripes called an offensive foul on Mershon.

Shine converted a three-point play on the other end of the court, her only three points of the half, to essentially give the Cavs a five-point swing and a 59-49 lead with 3:25 to play.

That series proved to be a turning point in the game as the Cavaliers slowed down the tempo, milked the clock and held on for the win. A Rosseel three-pointer as time expired gave Drexel its final nine-point margin of defeat.

In the first half, the Dragons came out playing inspired basketball, jumping out to a 12-9 lead early thanks to the hot hand of Nacickaite who scored 13 of her 24 points in the first half.

The Cavaliers slashed their way back into the game with a heavy dose of Chelsea Shine in the post. The Dragons suffered through a five-minute and 41-second scoring drought, but stayed within striking distance of Virginia and drew within two points 22-20 at the 4:07 mark.

Virginia closed with a 6-0 spurt to take a 28-20 lead into the locker room. Shine led the Cavs with 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting in the period. Virginia made half of its shots from the floor while the Dragons, who opened the half 4-for-6, finished shooting a chilly 25 percent in the period.

The loss was the first setback for the Dragons after getting off to their best ever start to a season by winning their first five games. The contest was Drexel's first outside of Philadelphia this season and the Dragons' first meeting against Virgnia in the program's history.

Drexel is back in action next Sunday, Dec. 12 when the Dragons host the Seton Hall Pirates and Hall of Fame Head Coach Anne Donovan at the DAC in a 2:00 p.m. contest.