Women's Basketball's Comeback Falls Short at College of Charleston, 71-65

Friday, February 7

Charleston, S.C.

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

10-11, 5-3

College of Charleston

12-10, 5-4

Drexel

Coll. of Charleston

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball's Comeback Falls Short at College of Charleston, 71-65

2/7/2014 9:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Drexel women's basketball team dropped its second-straight game as the Dragons fell in their first-ever visit to the College of Charleston, 71-65. The Dragons could not overcome a 21-point first-half deficit as their frantic second-half comeback effort stalled in the final minutes.

Rachel Pearson scored 21 points to lead all scorers. It was her third 20-point effort of the season, and just two points shy of her career high. As a team, Drexel (10-11, 5-3) hit eight of its 11 three-pointers after intermission as it attempted to overcome an ice-cold start. Fiona Flanagan finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, including five offensive boards that were key to the Dragons' second-half spurt.

Things got off to a slow start for the Dragons, who hit just two of their first 20 shots. Drexel was held scoreless for 10:45, stretching from the 17:50 mark until just 7:05 remained in the half. In all, the Dragons were just 7-for-34 (20.6 percent) in the first half, led by Pearson's eight points.

After trailing 33-18 at halftime, the Dragons began to show some spark. The Cougars got the first two points of the second period, but Drexel responded with a 10-0 run to slash the College of Charleston lead to seven at 35-28. Pearson had two treys during the run, while Abby Redick and Sarah Curran knocked down shots. The Dragons kept coming after the Cougars righted themselves, cutting the lead to five with 14:05 to play on a Redick jumper.

That would prove to be as close as Drexel would get, as five quick points from Erin Hall and Afreyea Tolbert pushed the Cougars back ahead by 10. Still, the Dragons kept the pressure on. Aided by Flanagan's tenacity on the glass, the Dragons made another major push, starting with just over five minutes to play. This time, it was Meghan Creighton providing the sharpshooting prowess, netting five straight points to get the score to 56-50 with 4:55 remaining. Creighton finished with 11 points, all coming in the second half. The Dragons had the ball back and a chance to cut into Charleston's lead even further, but could not convert. That led to a back-breaking 6-0 run for the Cougars, pushing back ahead 62-50 with 3:01 remaining.

Although the Dragons would get back within six with just over a minute to play, the Cougars were able to hit their shots down the stretch to keep Drexel from mounting a serious assault.

Drexel will remain in the southern part of the Colonial Athletic Association, hitting the road from Charleston to Wilmington, N.C. on Saturday morning. The Dragons will then take on UNCW for the first of two games this season on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.