Women's Basketball Goes Cold in 43-32 Loss to St. Bonaventure

Saturday, December 6

Providence, R.I.

4:00 p.m.

Drexel University

3-2

St. Bonaventure

6-2

Drexel

St. Bonaventure

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Goes Cold in 43-32 Loss to St. Bonaventure

12/6/2014 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was not a dream matchup for the Drexel women's basketball team coming off an 11-day break to start the Brown Classic on Saturday afternoon. The Dragons faced a team with a similar grinding make-up in St. Bonaventure and was never able to get its offense going as they fell, 43-32.

With the loss, Drexel will take on Sacred Heart on the second day of the Classic at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The Dragons (3-2) set an ignominious school record with the 32 points scored, their lowest total as a Division I program. No player finished in double figures for the first time this season. Jackie Schluth led the team with eight points, while Rachel Perason added seven and Sarah Curran and Alexis Smith each chipped in six. Kelsi Lidge and Jamila Thompson a field goal each, Lidge's her first-career three-pointer.

The matchup between two deliberate offensive teams saw both teams go through prolonged scoring droughts in the first half. The Dragons scored just one bucket over a 10:08 span, but trailed by just four when Sarah Curran's turnaround jumper ended that drought. St. Bonaventure, which like Drexel used the entire shot clock when necessary to get the look it wanted, did not hit a field goal over the last 5:51 of the half, going into the break with a 19-16 edge. Jackie Schluth led the Dragons with six points in the first half, which saw just four players score as the team shot .348 from the field. Neither team hit a three-pointer in the first half despite 10 combined attempts.

Drexel had its chances in the second half, never trailing by more than six until the 1:27 mark. Thompson got the half underway with a jumper from the top of the key to pull the Dragons back within a point. The two teams then exchanged buckets before St. Bonaventure got the game's first three-pointer with 16:23 remaining, following that with a lay-up to pull out to a 26-20 lead with 15:19 to play.

The Dragons kept things in that neighborhood for the next eight minutes, never getting closer than three but never falling behind by more than six. Down six with 8:24 to play, Drexel got a jumper from Sarah Curran just inside the three-point line. After one of 14 Brown turnovers, Rachel Pearson nailed a three-pointer from the left wing to cut the deficit to one at 33-32. That came with 7:16 to play, but the Dragons would not score again.

It remained a one-possession game for the next 5:04, with the Drexel defense keeping the team in the game. The Dragons forced two more St. Bonaventure turnovers, as the Bonnies were just 1-for-4 from the field during that span. With 2:14 remaining, however, Hannah Little worked inside for a layup, followed on the next St. Bonaventure possession by a Nyla Rueter jumper. The Bonnies put the game away in the final minute with free throws as the Dragons could not convert from the field.

With the rust now shaken off, the Dragons will get right back to work on Sunday afternoon. They will face Sacred Heart at 2 p.m. in their finale at the Brown Classic.