Women's Basketball Nets 60-43 Win at James Madison, Mershon Adds Career-High 27

Thursday, January 12

Harrisonburg, Va.

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

James Madison

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Nets 60-43 Win at James Madison, Mershon Adds Career-High 27

1/12/2012 9:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball

BOX SCORE

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The weather was March-like throughout the day, which must agree with the Drexel women's basketball team when they visit James Madison. Until Thursday, Drexel's only win over the Dukes in Harrisonburg came in March of 2009, when the Dragons won 64-58 to capture their first Colonial Athletic Association title. On Thursday, the Dragons nabbed their first win at James Madison in the regular season, 60-43. Hollie Mershon led all scorers with a career-high 27 points.

On a night when the Dragons (7-7, 3-1) relied primarily on one player to get the bulk of their points, they defeated the Dukes (11-4, 2-2) with a ball-control offense that would have impressed most NFL teams. Few offensive possessions went by without the shot clock trickling into single digits, and Drexel took advantage of its opportunities. The Dragons shot 42.6 percent from the floor for the game, but a whopping 58.3 percent (14-for-24) in the second half. Drexel was also 14-for-16 from the free throw line, hitting more than James Madison took (8-for-13). Furthermore, Drexel turned the ball over just eight times – only twice in the second half – for a new season low.

In addition, the Dragons held their own on the boards with Madison, a team that came into the game averaging nearly 10 rebounds a game more than Drexel. On Thursday, the Dragons went board for board with the Dukes, each team finishing with 30. In the second half, Drexel outrebounded the Dukes 15-11.

The game was a physical, back-and-forth affair for much of the first half, with the Dragons holding a 15-12 lead with nine minutes remaining. From there, the host Dukes slowly built a 13-0 run, building a 25-15 lead before Hollie Mershon sank two free throws with 26.3 seconds remaining in the half to break that run. The Dragons were held without a field goal for the final 9:25 of the stanza, going into the break trailing 25-17.

Drexel opened the second half on a 6-0 run to get back within a bucket. Taylor Wootton, who was held scoreless in the first half, attacked the hoop and was fouled twice, hitting all four free throws as part of the run. Wootton would finish with six points.

James Madison pushed their lead back to six after the initial push by Drexel, but the Dragons would not be deterred. They finally tied the game with 13:29 to play when Mershon's running lay-up from the left corner knotted the score at 31. A little less than three minutes later, she stroked a three-pointer from the top of the key that gave the Dragons their first lead of the half, 36-33.

A pivotal call came with 7:14 to play, as the Dukes were called for an off-the-ball foul just as Mershon was letting loose with a three-pointer from the right wing. After a brief conference, the officials determined that the ball had left Mershon's hands, and the three-pointer was good. Heading into the official timeout, Drexel had a 44-39 advantage. Although the Dragons couldn't get a bucket when awarded the ball after the break, the three helped squash some of the Dukes' momentum after they had scored the game's last four points.

As it turned out, that three would be all the Dragons would need the rest of the way. Over the game's final 7:36, James Madison scored just three points, all from Jasmine Gill. She finished with seven, while Lauren Whitehurst led the Dukes with 14 points.

With 41 seconds remaining, Kamile Nacickaite put the finishing touches on the triumph when her second three-pointer of the night splashed through the net to give the Dragons their final 60-43 margin of victory. With the bucket, Nacickaite, who finished with 15 points, turned to the bench directly behind her and smiled at her screaming, ecstatic teammates.

Senior guard Marisa Crane added a season-best eight points in 34 minutes of play. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, improving her season stat line to 14-for-14. The four made free throws tied a career high.

The victory snapped a 17-game home winning streak for James Madison. Mershon's 27 points also marked the most scored against the Dukes by any one player all season.

Now sitting at 3-1 in the CAA, Drexel will return home looking to keep the positive momentum going. On Sunday, they will take on Georgia State at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are still available for the game, and fans who cannot make it to the Daskalakis Athletic Center can listen to all the action on DrexelDragons.com with Ari Bluestein having the call.