Drexel Exits CAA Tournament With 67-61 Loss to Delaware in OT

Friday, March 12

Harrisonburg, Va.

2:30 p.m.

Drexel University

Delaware

Drexel Exits CAA Tournament With 67-61 Loss to Delaware in OT

3/12/2010 5:12:24 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Harrisonburg, Va. – Delaware (21-10) rallied from a five-point deficit with two minutes left in overtime to knock Drexel (17-13) out of the CAA Tournament 67-61 in overtime. Gabriela Marginean led the Dragons with 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Delaware's Elena Delle Donne led the Hens with 30 points and nine rebounds, none larger than an offensive board that led to a put-back layup in overtime, completing Delaware's comeback. Drexel rallied from a 11-point deficit to force overtime against Delaware for the third time in as many meetings this season. The Dragons also scored the first five points in overtime, but saw that lead vanish in the waning minutes of the loss.

Kamile Nacickaite knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to tie complete an 11-point Drexel comeback and force overtime between the two teams for the third time this season. Marginean scored 16 of her 27 regulation points in the second half, including seven straight during Drexel's desperation rally. Drexel did not lead in the second half and trailed by as many as 11 points.

Drexel opened the extra period with five straight points as Rosseel was fouled on a three-pointer and converted all three free tosses. Tyler Hale then poached a pass at the top of the arc and sprinted, unimpeded for a layup to make it 61-56.

Delle Donne knocked down a three-pointer with 1:32 to play, cutting the lead to 61-59, and Drexel fell victim to Delaware's trap for a turnover of its own. The Blue Hens regained the ball with 1:15 to play. The setup resulted in a foul that gave Delle Donne two free throws to tie the game. Rosseel missed a three on Drexel's end and Delaware sprinted down the court and out of a trap found Riddick on a cut the to the hoop, drawing a foul.

She missed both free throws but Delle Donne put back the offensive rebound to give Delaware its first lead of the period 63-61. On Drexel's inbounds play Marginean got the ball on the post and spun into the lane but Delle Donne blocked her shot and Drexel was whistled for a foul on the scramble for the rebound. Delaware converted four straight free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal its win.

In addition to her team-leading 30 points, Delle Donne led Delaware with nine rebounds and two blocks, she also shot 12-for-13 from the foul line. Tesia Harris also came up with a big game for the Hens with 13 points and seven boards, four of them on the offensive glass. Delaware outrebounded Drexel 45-38 and the Hens converted their 18 offensive rebounds into 21 points.

For Drexel, who closed out the game shooting 34.4 percent, Jasmina Rosseel had 12 points, including three three-pointers. Tyer Hale came up with a number of important layups in the final minutes of regulation and finished with 11 points, five boards and four assists. Her block of a layup attempt by Eva Riddick with just under six minutes in regulation, and the technical foul that resulted from it, was a turning point in the game for Drexel.

Delaware took 29-26 lead into the locker room at halftime in an opening period that saw both teams key their defenses around their opponent's All-CAA First Teamers. Drexel, using a combination of man-to-man and switching zone defenses held Delle Donne to eight points on 3-for-12 shooting. The Blue Hens countered with a series of double teams on Marginean, who led the Dragons with nine points on 4-for-9 shooting in the half and also pulled in five rebounds.

Both teams shot better than 40 percent from the floor and Drexel knocked down four of its nine three-point attempts to stay within striking distance of its regional rival. Delaware led by as much as five points in the half while the Dragons held brief leads midway through the period, but were largely victimized by the Blue Hens' offensive rebounding.

Delaware seized momentum coming out of the break, using an 8-3 run to pull out to a comfortable lead. Drexel held within seven points for much of the first 10 minutes, but a three-point play by Delle Donne with 8:47 on the clock seemed to put the game in the Hens' grasp. The conversion made it a 46-35 Delaware lead, the team's largest of the game.

Marginean responded with a three-pointer for Drexel which allowed the Dragons to get into their trapping defense. The Dragons were able to cut the lead to eight points 48-40 with 6:52 on the clock. Tesia Harris responded with a three-pointer to make it 51-40.

Drexel seemed to gain some traction when with just under six second left, Tyler Hale blocked a shot by Eva Riddick and drew a technical foul on the Blue Hen. Marginean coolly converted both of the resultant free throws to cut Delaware's lead to seven points at 51-44 with 5:03 to play. Coming out of the final media timeout Marginean curled a screen for a layup that cut the lead to 51-46.

Leaving every ounce of effort on the court, Marginean pulled down a bullet pass off a back-door cut and converted a layup while getting shoved in the back. The three-point play made it 51-49 Delaware with 2:15 on the clock. Drexel's trap generated another Blue Hen turnover as Marisa Crane grabbed a steal and got a timeout at half court.

Marginean's layup attempt on the baseline fell short and she was whistled for a foul on the rebound attempt. Delle Donne converted two free throws to put her team up four. On Drexel's next trip down Marginean held the ball in an isolation play and spun her way into the lane, drawing a double team. She bounced the ball to Hale who made a quick layup to keep the game at two points, 53-51.

Another offensive rebound by the Blue Hens off a Delle Donne miss resulted in a free-throw by Harris that put Delaware up by three points. Crane corralled a missed floater by Marginean and, coming out of a timeout with 1:09 left Maginean worked another drive and dish to Hale, making it a 54-53 game.

Harris knocked down a layup on the sprint out after the bucket. But Kamile Nacickaite responded with a three-pointer in the corner with 32.1 seconds on the clock to knot the game at 56-56.

With the ball in the hands of Kayla Miller in the closing seconds and the Dragons denying a touch by Delle Donne. Miller forced up a shot from the free throw line. After an official review it was determined that the ball touched the rim with 1.3 seconds left, before the shot clock expired but there was an inadvertent whistle while neither team had possession. Drexel received the ball due to alternate-possession jump ball and the game went into overtime before Crane could heave up a last-second shot.

It was the first time in Drexel history that the Dragons played three overtime games against the same team in one season. In what could be her final game as a Dragon, Marginean played all 45 minutes and led the Dragons in scoring, rebounds, steals and assists. She moved into second place on Drexel's all-time rebounding list, finishing with 941 in her Drexel career.