Redick's Double Double Powers Women's Basketball Past C of C, 68-55

Thursday, January 9

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

6-8, 1-0

College of Charleston

7-7, 0-1

Coll. of Charleston

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Redick's Double Double Powers Women's Basketball Past C of C, 68-55

1/9/2014 9:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The Drexel women's basketball team has shown its ability to beat teams with a barrage of three-pointers already this season. On Thursday, the Dragons opened up Colonial Athletic Association play by winning another way, pounding the ball inside on their way to a 68-55 victory over the College of Charleston. Abby Redick punctuated the victory with her first-career double-double, setting personal highs with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Drexel (6-8, 1-0) won its third straight CAA opener and its sixth in seven years. The College of Charleston (7-7, 0-1) fell in its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association contest. The Cougars joined the league prior to the 2013-14 season.

It was a balanced and relentless offensive attack for the Dragons, who had four starters finish in double figures. A fifth, Fiona Flanagan, finished with nine points. Drexel opened the game by pounding the ball inside, and kept up the interior pressure throughout the evening as they outdid the Cougars in the paint by a 42-22 margin.

Sarah Curran and Meghan Creighton each had 11 points for the Dragons to complement Redick's 16. Creighton added six rebounds and seven assists, the latter matching her career high. Rachel Pearson finished with 10 points, all in the second half. Flanagan had nine points and a season-best five assists to go along with six rebounds and a block. Off the bench, Jamila Thompson made her first appearance since November 15 against Providence, chipping in five points and adding five rebounds and four assists. Jackie Schluth added four points off the bench, with Carrie Alexander contributing two.

After Breanna Bolden hit one of two free throws for the Cougars to put them up 1-0, Drexel came down the court and got a clean look in close by Curran to put the Dragons on top. They would not trail the rest of the way, as Curran's lay-up sparked an 8-0 Drexel run.

Jackie Schluth sank a hook shot in the lane with 8:40 remaining to put the Dragons ahead 21-11, but the Cougars answered that with a 7-0 run of their own. They would pull within a point with 4:34 remaining when Shannon Hines' three-pointer edged the score to 25-24. Again Drexel answered, finding Redick inside followed immediately by a Flanagan lay-in plus a foul. The old-fashioned three-point play sparked a 12-2 Drexel run that included a three-pointer by Creighton, the first trey of the night for the Dragons. They went into the break up 39-26.

The second half brought more of the same from the Dragons, who continued to pound the ball inside. Their first eight points of the period came either at the free throw line or from point blank range as they moved out to a 47-35 lead.

When the College of Charleston cut the lead to seven with 10:10 to play, the closest they would get in the second half, it was the Dragons' leading scorer who stepped up with an answer. Rachel Pearson had just two points to that point, but she nailed back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead back to 13. The Cougars would once more inch within single digits at 60-51 with 4:33 to play, but this time it was consecutive lay-ups by Flanagan and Pearson that slammed the door and finished off the victory. Two free throws from Creighton with 1:05 to play would put Drexel up 68-53, matching its largest lead of the night.

The Dragons will now enjoy a week off – their longest break during conference play – before hitting the road for their next contest next Thursday at William & Mary. That game is the first of three straight on the road for Drexel, which will next play at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on January 26 against Northeastern.