Women's Basketball Moves On with 82-72 Win Over Harvard

Saturday, March 23

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

24-10

Harvard

21-9

Harvard

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Moves On with 82-72 Win Over Harvard

3/23/2013 9:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - A momentous win called for some outstanding performances, and the Drexel women's basketball team provided just that as the Dragons defeated Harvard in the second round of the 2013 WNIT, 82-72. The Dragons won their 24th game of the season with the win, matching the school record set in 2008-09. They also won their second postseason game of the season, the first time in program history that Drexel has advanced that far in any postseason tournament.

Hollie Mershon scored 32 points in the win, one shy of a career high. She also dished out nine assists to tie a personal best as Drexel (24-10) set a season-high with 26 assists as a team. Taylor Wootton knocked down 20 points, adding five assists and nine rebounds. Rachel Pearson contributed 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, her highest output since scoring 19 against UMKC on November 23.

With the victory, Drexel will move on to face Bowling Green on Thursday night on the road. The Falcons took down Duquesne on Saturday night after dispatching of SMU in the first round.

While the Dragons shot an impressive 52.6 percent from the floor, their highest percentage since shooting 52.8 percent on February 3 against Georgia State, Harvard (21-9) actually outdid them with a 56.9 percent mark. The Crimson came out firing in the first half, knocking down their first four shots as they led by as many as five in the early going. Harvard would finish with four in double figures, including both Christine Clark and Victoria Lippert chipping in 15 apiece.

Drexel, in particular its seniors, was up to the challenge. Wootton got the first four points for the Dragons, followed by five from Mershon and four from Renee Johnson-Allen. In fact, the senior trio would ultimately score the first 29 points of the game for the Dragons as they hung onto a 29-26 lead before Pearson got the underclassmen on the board with a jumper at the 5:08 mark of the first half.

After trailing 7-2 out of the gate, Drexel quickly shot its way back into the game, and took the lead back at 15-14 when Mershon wove her way to the hoop and dropped it in off the backboard. The game went back and forth for the next several possssions until a three-pointer by Mershon pushed the Dragons back on top 20-18. They would not trail again, although the Crimson remained well within striking distance throughout the first half.

Leading 35-32 with 2:24 remaining in the half, Drexel went on a quick 6-0 run to push its lead out to nine. The run was fueled by Pearson, who knocked down both of her three-pointers on the evening in a 35 second span near the end of the period. With 58 seconds left, she drilled her second three-pointer of the night, giving her 10 points at that time, and pushing the Dragons' lead to 41-32. Harvard would respond with a bucket before the break, but Drexel went into halftime up by seven at 41-34. To that point, Archbishop Carroll gradutes Mershon (19), Pearson (10) and Meghan Creighton (2) were nearly outscoring the Crimson all by themselves.

Drexel opened the second half just as hot as they had finished the first. After Harvard netted the period's first points, Drexel rattled off seven unanswered, including a three-pointer by Meghan Creighton and back-to-back scores by Wootton. Wootton's second basket of the run put Drexel up 48-36, its largest lead to that point, and forced Harvard to use a timeout.

The pace did not let up on either side, with Drexel holding the Crimson at arms length throughout. Drexel was able to keep its offense flowing thanks in large part to tremendous ball movement. The Dragons' 26 assists were their most this season as a team, and six of the seven players who saw floor time dished out at least two assists. Mershon, whose nine helpers tied a career high, only committed two turnovers as Drexel gave the ball away just eight times as a squad. Creighton finished with five assists and one turnover, as did Wootton.

Drexel will now enjoy four days away from action as they move on to the third round of the WNIT for the first time in program history. They will visit Bowling Green on Thursday with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line. Tip off time for Thursday has not yet officially been set.