Wootton's Career High Leads Women's Basketball to 72-59 Win Over La Salle

Monday, December 19

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

La Salle

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Wootton's Career High Leads Women's Basketball to 72-59 Win Over La Salle

12/19/2011 9:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball

BOX SCORE

PHILADELPHIA - It was a career night for Drexel junior Taylor Wootton as she scored 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting to power the women's basketball team past La Salle for a 72-59 victory. The junior displayed an ability to hit a wide variety of shots from nearly anywhere inside the three-point arc as she helped Drexel improve to 5-3 and earn its first home victory of the season.

Hollie Mershon added 13 points and led all players with nine boards, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double for a second time in three games. Kamile Nacickaite knocked down 18 points, adding six boards, four assists and two steals. Ayana Lee also set a career high with nine points.

Alexis Scott led La Salle (3-8) with 33 points.

Often this season, it has been a hot start by Nacickaite or Mershon that has sparked a Drexel victory. This time, however, it was a much more balanced attack. After falling behind by three early in the game, the Dragons went on a 15-2 run to build a 26-16 advantage. They would not trail the rest of the way.

Wootton had 10 of her 20 points in the first half, while Mershon did all of her scoring in the opening stanza. Nacickaite added nine points in the first.

Leading by 12 at the break, the Dragons saw the advantage slip away in the second half as La Salle, led by Scott, whittled the lead down to one point with 13:39 to play. The Dragons committed a turnover on the in-bounds pass to start the second half, and outside of two Wootton jumpers and a nice backdoor cut by Renee Johnson-Allen for a lay-in, the Dragons could not get much going offensively.

After Brittany Wilson's jumper made it 44-43, however, the Dragons responded. Ayana Lee hit one of two free throw shots, one of her seven second-half tallies. Following that, Nacickaite grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back for two plus a foul, sinking the free throw to extend the lead back to five. A three-pointer by Scott 90 seconds later would cut the Drexel edge to two points, but Drexel worked the lead back up from there.

With 16 seconds remaining on the clock, junior transfer Abby Redick was fouled and sunk both free throws for her first points as a Dragon. That provided Drexel with its final total of 72, their highest of the season. They had previously scored 71 in a 71-50 victory over Pittsburgh on November 26.

The win was the first at home for the Dragons, who were playing just their second game of the season at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Drexel had not played at home since November 11, a span of 38 days.

The Dragons will return to action on Thursday, when they travel a few blocks south on 33rd Street to visit Penn at the Palestra. That game tips at noon, with Pat Delsi at the mic for the call on DrexelDragons.com.