Women's Basketball Hangs On for 55-52 Win Over Northeastern

Sunday, January 26

Daskalakis Athletic Center

2:00 p.m.

Drexel University

9-9, 4-1

Northeastern

7-11, 1-4

DREXEL

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Hangs On for 55-52 Win Over Northeastern

1/26/2014 4:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - The young Drexel women's basketball team got strong senior leadership in the closing moments as the Dragons held on for a 55-52 victory over Northeastern on Sunday afternoon. Fiona Flanagan knocked down two free throws and had a crucial block that kept the Huskies at bay as Drexel saw an 11-point second-half lead slip to one possession in the final minute of play.

Flanagan finished with seven points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals for the Dragons (9-9, 4-1), who rebounded after suffering their first loss in Colonial Athletic Association play at James Madison on Thursday night. Rachel Pearson matched her career high with 23 points, going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc to lead all scorers.

The win was the tenth-straight in the series for the Dragons, who now boast a 10-game winning streak over a single opponent for the first time since winning 15 in a row against Towson from February 2, 2000 through March 8, 2006. Northeastern (7-11, 1-4) led for most of the first half despite playing without leading scorer A'lece Mark.

Drexel started off slowly on Sunday, falling behind 8-0 right from the tip. Pearson got the Dragons on the board with a three-pointer at the 17:23 mark, followed shortly thereafter by a Flanagan lay-up that made it 9-5. The Dragons would take their first lead at the 9:26 point in the first half when Flanagan drained a three-pointer to make it 15-14.

Northeastern responded to that brief Drexel lead, going on a 6-0 run that built its lead back to five at 20-15. After a Tiffany Montagne three-pointer with 5:50 to play in the first half, however, the Dragons clamped down on defense and started hitting their shots, going on a 14-1 run over the next 5:36. Meghan Creighton started things with a three-pointer, adding five points during the course of the run. Pearson hit two from long range as well, the last building a 30-24 edge and prompting a Northeastern timeout with 2:23 to play in the half.

Pearson had 17 of her 23 points in the first half. She would prove to be the only Dragon reaching double figures on the day, giving them their first win of the season when less than two players reached double figure scoring. Drexel also won for the first time all year when posting a lower shooting percentage than its opponent, finishing 19-of-54 for the day (35.2 percent) compared to Northeastern's 16-for-41 (39.0 percent). The Dragons came into the day 0-8 in such games.

Drexel steadily built its lead as the second half got underway, with Sarah Curran contributing all four of her points on the day to get the Dragons' scoring underway and put them up 36-29. With 10:15 to play, Pearson's fifth trey of the afternoon gave the Dragons a 10-point lead at 44-34. After Amencie Mercier answered with a three-pointer for Northeastern, Pearson hit another three to push the lead back to 10.

The Dragons were still up by double figures when Alexis Smith worked her way inside for a bucket at the 5:52 mark, making it 51-40. Northeastern chipped away, though, holding the Dragons without a field goal for the final 4:38 of play. WIth 2:28 to go, the Huskies had the lead down to three.

Fortunately for the Dragons, Northeastern's tendency to commit costly turnovers cropped up at the most opportune time. Twice in a row, the Huskies threw the ball away, leaving the ball in Drexel's hands with less than a minute to play. Although the Dragons could not convert, Northeastern also came up empty on a three-point try with 24 seconds to play. Flanagan grabbed the rebound, and knocked down both ends of a 1-and-1 to push the Dragons' lead back to five.

Northeastern would get one more bucket, a lay-up after Flanagan blocked a three-point attempt on the other end. However, after the score with six seconds to go, Northeastern could not chase down a Dragon ballhandler, as Drexel ran out the clock and preserved the victory.

The Dragons will return to action on Thursday when they host William & Mary. Game time for that contest is 7:00 p.m.