Drexel University Athletics
Thursday, January 13
Harrisonburg, Va.
6:00
Drexel University
77
at
73
James Madison
Dragons Fall Short in 77-73 OT Thriller at James Madison
1/13/2011 8:46:28 PM | Women's Basketball
Harrisonburg, Va.- Kamile Nacickaite matched her career high with 27 points but Drexel (10-5, 2-2) fell 77-73 in overtime at James Madison (10-6, 3-1). Hollie Mershon hit a long three-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation to send the game into the extra period, but the Dukes outscored Drexel 10-6 in the overtime to pull out the victory. Dawn Evans led James Madison with 27 points.
James Madison's work on the boards proved to be the difference in the game. Even playing without leading rebounder Lauren Jimenez, the Dukes outworked Drexel 48-32 on the glass and pulled down 18 offensive boards. Lauren Whitehurst led the way with 15 rebounds. Jalissa Taylor came up with two important offensive put-backs, one in the second half and one in overtime to help give her team the victory.
James Madison outshot Drexel 43.9 percent to 39.7 percent from the floor, but the Dragons knocked down 11-of-24 three-pointers led by five from Jasmina Rosseel, who finished with 15 points.
Hollie Mershon chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and three assists and came up with a number of big shots down the stretch preceeding her fortuitous heave at the end of regulation. Taylor Wootton finished with 10 points and four boards.
Drexel seized momentum early in the first half courtesy of a trio of three-pointers from Nacickaite. The Dragons led 13-9 in the opening minutes but allowed James Madison to erase its deficit and open a 27-21 gap once Evans found her touch from long range.
The nation's leading scorer, who had been held off the scoreboard for the first 10 minutes of play, knocked down a three-pointer with five and a half minutes left to give the Dukes a six-point margin, which was their largest lead of the first half.
The Dragons closed out the period with an 11-2 run fueled by six points from Ayana Lee, who matched her career high with eight points in the first half. Lee knocked down a pair of free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound. She hit a layup after curling off a screen and closed out the half by rattling in a driving layup to put Drexel on top 31-29 at the break.
Drexel edged James Madison in shooting from the field, knocking down 42.9 percent of its shots to the Dukes' 40.7 percent. But James Madison made 5-of-9 from deep to keep the game tight at halftime.
The pendulum of a game kept swinging in the second half. The Dragons capped a 7-0 run with a Nacickaite layup to take a 41-37 lead in the first five minutes. The Dukes countered with a 13-3 spurt courtesy of a tenacious rebounding attack.
Following an offensive rebound and a put-back layup by Jalissa Taylor midway through the half, James Madison held a 50-44 lead in scoring and had outrebounded the Dragons by 10.
Three-pointers on successive possessions by the Dragons drew the score to 53-52 with James Madison holding a point advantage at the 7:54 mark. Nacickaite hit the second three-pointer and the Dukes were whistled for a foul with the ball in the air. Drexel turned over the ensuing inbounds pass and James Madison converted on the other end to open a 55-52 lead with under seven to play.
With under two minutes left the Dragons came up with blocks of Evans and Taylor to gain possession while trailing 65-61. Wootton found herself with an open look in the block in transition but was blocked from behind setting up a Drexel timeout.
Out of the timeout Nacickaite got open using a screen on the wing and drilled a three-pointer to make it 65-64 with the Dukes in front. Hislop responded with a floater in the lane to put James Madison ahead by three.
Wootton got an open look on a pick-and-roll on Drexel's trip down the court. But her offering from 18 feet out came up just short and the Dukes pulled down the rebound with 24.4 seconds left.
Rosseel fouled out with 14 seconds left to put Hislop on the line. Hislop missed the front end of the one-and-one and the Dragons rebounded. Mershon hustled the ball over midcourt and curled her way toward the Drexel sideline before tossing up a three-point attempt from eight feed beyond the three-point arc. The ball swished through the net to knot the game at 67-67 with 7.8 seconds left.
Evans sprinted the ball down court on the James Madison possession and hit a wide open Courtney Hamner for a look at a three-pointer. But the Hamner's offering went wide to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, Evans opened scoring with a three-pointer. The Dragons responded with a free-throw apiece from Nacickaite and Wootton to trail by a point with a minute left.
The game pivoted again when Jalissa Taylor pulled down another offensive rebound and banked home the put-back while being fouled with 24.3 seconds left. She converted the three-pointer to give her team a 75-71 lead.
Nacickaite drew a foul on a put-back attempt of her own on Drexel's possession and knocked down both free throws to draw the Dragons within two points. The Dragons fouled and this time Taylor missed both free throws.
Mershon again sprinted the ball down court and drove the left side of the lane to put up a shot. It fell short and she grabbed the offensive board, but her second offering again fell short. The Dragons were able to get a last-gasp foul with eight-tenths of a second left and Hislop converted both free throws for the final margin.
The Dragons are back on the road on Sunday against William & Mary at 2:00 p.m.
James Madison's work on the boards proved to be the difference in the game. Even playing without leading rebounder Lauren Jimenez, the Dukes outworked Drexel 48-32 on the glass and pulled down 18 offensive boards. Lauren Whitehurst led the way with 15 rebounds. Jalissa Taylor came up with two important offensive put-backs, one in the second half and one in overtime to help give her team the victory.
James Madison outshot Drexel 43.9 percent to 39.7 percent from the floor, but the Dragons knocked down 11-of-24 three-pointers led by five from Jasmina Rosseel, who finished with 15 points.
Hollie Mershon chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and three assists and came up with a number of big shots down the stretch preceeding her fortuitous heave at the end of regulation. Taylor Wootton finished with 10 points and four boards.
Drexel seized momentum early in the first half courtesy of a trio of three-pointers from Nacickaite. The Dragons led 13-9 in the opening minutes but allowed James Madison to erase its deficit and open a 27-21 gap once Evans found her touch from long range.
The nation's leading scorer, who had been held off the scoreboard for the first 10 minutes of play, knocked down a three-pointer with five and a half minutes left to give the Dukes a six-point margin, which was their largest lead of the first half.
The Dragons closed out the period with an 11-2 run fueled by six points from Ayana Lee, who matched her career high with eight points in the first half. Lee knocked down a pair of free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound. She hit a layup after curling off a screen and closed out the half by rattling in a driving layup to put Drexel on top 31-29 at the break.
Drexel edged James Madison in shooting from the field, knocking down 42.9 percent of its shots to the Dukes' 40.7 percent. But James Madison made 5-of-9 from deep to keep the game tight at halftime.
The pendulum of a game kept swinging in the second half. The Dragons capped a 7-0 run with a Nacickaite layup to take a 41-37 lead in the first five minutes. The Dukes countered with a 13-3 spurt courtesy of a tenacious rebounding attack.
Following an offensive rebound and a put-back layup by Jalissa Taylor midway through the half, James Madison held a 50-44 lead in scoring and had outrebounded the Dragons by 10.
Three-pointers on successive possessions by the Dragons drew the score to 53-52 with James Madison holding a point advantage at the 7:54 mark. Nacickaite hit the second three-pointer and the Dukes were whistled for a foul with the ball in the air. Drexel turned over the ensuing inbounds pass and James Madison converted on the other end to open a 55-52 lead with under seven to play.
With under two minutes left the Dragons came up with blocks of Evans and Taylor to gain possession while trailing 65-61. Wootton found herself with an open look in the block in transition but was blocked from behind setting up a Drexel timeout.
Out of the timeout Nacickaite got open using a screen on the wing and drilled a three-pointer to make it 65-64 with the Dukes in front. Hislop responded with a floater in the lane to put James Madison ahead by three.
Wootton got an open look on a pick-and-roll on Drexel's trip down the court. But her offering from 18 feet out came up just short and the Dukes pulled down the rebound with 24.4 seconds left.
Rosseel fouled out with 14 seconds left to put Hislop on the line. Hislop missed the front end of the one-and-one and the Dragons rebounded. Mershon hustled the ball over midcourt and curled her way toward the Drexel sideline before tossing up a three-point attempt from eight feed beyond the three-point arc. The ball swished through the net to knot the game at 67-67 with 7.8 seconds left.
Evans sprinted the ball down court on the James Madison possession and hit a wide open Courtney Hamner for a look at a three-pointer. But the Hamner's offering went wide to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, Evans opened scoring with a three-pointer. The Dragons responded with a free-throw apiece from Nacickaite and Wootton to trail by a point with a minute left.
The game pivoted again when Jalissa Taylor pulled down another offensive rebound and banked home the put-back while being fouled with 24.3 seconds left. She converted the three-pointer to give her team a 75-71 lead.
Nacickaite drew a foul on a put-back attempt of her own on Drexel's possession and knocked down both free throws to draw the Dragons within two points. The Dragons fouled and this time Taylor missed both free throws.
Mershon again sprinted the ball down court and drove the left side of the lane to put up a shot. It fell short and she grabbed the offensive board, but her second offering again fell short. The Dragons were able to get a last-gasp foul with eight-tenths of a second left and Hislop converted both free throws for the final margin.
The Dragons are back on the road on Sunday against William & Mary at 2:00 p.m.
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