Johnson-Allen's Double Double Helps Women's Basketball Past Georgia State, 58-49

Thursday, February 28

Atlanta, Ga.

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

20-7, 13-3

Georgia State

13-15, 5-12

Drexel

GSU

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Johnson-Allen's Double Double Helps Women's Basketball Past Georgia State, 58-49

2/28/2013 9:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ATLANTA – In a game that echoed the first meeting between these two teams, the Drexel women's basketball team used a 17-0 run early in the second half to build on a one-point halftime edge as the Dragons won its final trip to Georgia State as conference foes, 58-49. Renee Johnson-Allen put together the first double-double of her career scoring 10 points and matching her career high with 12 rebounds, while Hollie Mershon led all scorers with 23.

Drexel led by two at the break over Georgia State before pulling away for a 79-55 win in Philadelphia last month.

The Dragons (20-7, 13-3) hit 10-for-22 from three-point range, including 4-for-7 from freshman Meghan Creighton, who finished with 12 points. The win was the 20th of the season for the Dragons, the fourth time in program history they have reached that milestone. It was also their ninth true road win of the year, matching the program record for road wins in the regular season. They will have one chance to break that record – and tie the program's overall road wins record – on Sunday at Delaware.

The Dragons relied on the three-point shot early, with five of their first six shot attempts coming from beyond the arc. Georgia State played physical, swarming defense inside, keeping the Dragons from getting much going in the paint all night long and deflecting several Dragon pass attempts. Drexel was plagued by turnovers in an uncharacteristic fashion, giving the ball away 13 times against just 10 assists. That helped keep the Panthers close despite Drexel's 45.5 percent clip from downtown.

Johnson-Allen hit her first three shots from the field and Drexel led by as many as eight in the first half, but the Panthers were able to push back into the game with a 12-2 run of their own late in the half. The Dragons went into the break with a one-point lead, 26-25.

After halftime, the Panthers appeared to be the team that came out with a spark. They scored the half's first five points, including one of five three-pointers on the night by Kendra Long, who led the team with 15 points. Up 30-26, though, Georgia State went cold, turning the ball over several times and going over 5:30 before its next field goal.

During that stretch, Mershon went to work. She scored eight quick points after managing five in the first half. Meghan Creighton added two three-pointers, and Johnson-Allen scored three points to help the Dragons put together a 17-0 run that built them a 43-30 lead.

Although the Dragons would never trail again, Georgia State did not go quietly. The Panthers cut the lead to five with 4:34 to play when Ashlee Cole buried a three. Creighton answered at the other end with a three-pointer, and although Drexel only momentarily got its lead back to double digits later, Georgia State was unable to get back within two possessions the rest of the way.

Mershon's 23 points gives her 1,371 in her career, ten better than Leslie Reiner and enough to move the Malvern, Pa. native into tenth place all-time in Drexel women's basketball history.

Drexel will play its final road game of the 2012-13 regular season on Sunday when it visits first-place Delaware at 3:30 p.m.