Women's Basketball Comes Up Short Against JMU, 69-58

Sunday, February 16

Daskalakis Athletic Center

5:30 p.m.

Drexel University

12-12, 7-4CAA

RV/RV James Madison

21-4, 11-0CAA

James Madison

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Comes Up Short Against JMU, 69-58

2/16/2014 8:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - The upset attempt fell just short for the Drexel women's basketball team on Sunday evening, as the Dragons fell to first-place James Madison, 69-58. The Dragons were within four midway through the second half, but the Dukes, who remain undefeated in the Colonial Athletic Association, went on a 12-2 run to effectively put the game out of reach.

Fiona Flanagan had 14 points for the Dragons (12-12, 7-4), including 11 in the second half. Meghan Creighton added 10 points, as did Tory Thierolf. For Thierolf, it was her third-career double-digit scoring game, all of which have come this season. James Madison (21-4, 11-0) was led by Jazmon Gwathmey's 16 points.

For a little while, it appeared that the Dukes might be able to pull away from Drexel early. After Thierolf nailed a three-pointer to make it a 13-10 Madison lead with 14:36 remaining in the first half, the Dukes scored the game's next 13 points, pulling ahead 26-10 before a Flanagan free throw stemmed the tide at the 8:01 mark. It would be another 2:33 before Drexel got its next field goal, an Abby Redick juper to make it 29-13. Redick finished with six points and seven assists, a game high.

That Redick jumper started a counter-run by the Dragons. Jamila Thompson came off the bench and took over the low post late in the first half, scoring six quick points as the Dragons had the lead down to seven with 44 seconds remaining. A Kirby Burkholder three-pointer got the Dukes' lead back up to 10, but Drexel made it an eight-point game at the break after Meghan Creighton ripped a rebound out of a James Madison player's hands, then streaked up the court and was fouled. She hit both free throws for the last points of the half, leaving JMU up 34-26.

Out of halftime, Drexel kept charging. Thierolf, Flanagan and Rachel Pearson worked their way inside for easy buckets that had the James Madison lead down to six at 38-32 just over three minutes into the period. Abby Redick followed with another short jumper that cut the deficit to four.

That would ultimately be as close as the Dragons got. On five separate occasions between the 15:51 mark of the second half and the 10:26 mark, Drexel had the James Madison lead to four, but the Dragons could inch no closer. Carrie Alexander's lay-up with 10:26 remaining provided the last big opportunity for Drexel, getting the score to 47-43.

Alexander would add another bucket 30 seconds later that got the lead down to five after a James Madison three-pointer, but the Dukes took off from there. They scored nine straight points as the Dragons fell behind 59-45. Drexel kept pushing, and had the margin down to eight with 2:57 to play, but the first-place Dukes proved too much in the end.

The 11-point margin was the second-smallest for James Madison in CAA play this season. The Dukes won nine of their first 10 league games by at least 20 points, and had won five - including the last two -by at least 30. The loss dropped Drexel into third place in the CAA. The Dragons will have a chance to rebound and move back into second place on Tuesday, when they take on their archrivals the Delaware Blue Hens, currently in second place. Drexel defeated Delaware in Newark earlier this season. That game will be the Dragons' annual Play4Kay contest in support of breast cancer awareness.