Thompson Spurs Women's Basketball, 58-53 Over UNCW

Sunday, January 11

Daskalakis Athletic Center

2:00 p.m.

Drexel University

9-6, 3-1

UNCW

6-9, 2-2

UNCW

DREXEL

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Thompson Spurs Women's Basketball, 58-53 Over UNCW

1/11/2015 4:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Jamila Thompson put together a career day for the Drexel women's basketball team, setting or matching personal highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals as the Dragons edged UNCW at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, 58-53. Thompson, who recorded her first-career double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, shot 6-for-9 from the floor and spearheaded the Dragons as they overcame what had been a nine-point deficit to defeat the Seahawks for a sixth-straight time.

The win improved the Dragons (9-6) to 3-1 in CAA play. Drexel has done it with defense, not allowing more than 53 points in any league game and giving up an average of 47.0 points per game in a busy first week that saw them play four games in eight days. Sarah Curran led all scorers with 16 points, adding five rebounds. Rachel Pearson chipped in nine, along with five assists and no turnovers. Alexis Smith matched Pearson's game-high five assists, adding five points from the charity stripe down the stretch. Shatia Cole led UNCW (6-9, 2-2) with 14 points. The Dragons did a solid job defending preseason First Team All-CAA selection Kelva Atkins, who finished with nine points but was just 1-for-11 from the floor.

The Dragons got off to a good start, holding UNCW without a field goal for the first 6:04 of play while building an 8-2 lead. Curran had four of those eight points as she got off to a strong start, establishing the Dragons' presence down low. Drexel finished with 30 points in the paint compared to just 16 for UNCW.

After falling behind 8-2, UNCW woke up. The Seahawks methodically went on a 16-1 run over the next 4:58, seizing an 18-9 advantage before Pearson worked free for a lay-up to end the run with 8:56 remaining in the first half. Drexel quickly went on an 11-2 spurt of their own, knotting things at 20 when Pearson buried a three-pointer just over three minutes later.

The Dragons could not get over the hump in the first half, and UNCW got a big three-pointer near the buzzer to send the Seahawks into the break up by four. UNCW also scored the first four points after halftime, rebuilding an eight-point lead before the Dragons fought back.

It started with a Thompson jumper, one of several she hit on the afternoon, to cut it to a six-point margin. After a stop and a Drexel offensive rebound, Kelsi Lidge slashed that in half with a three-pointer she sank from the right corner. Sarah Curran followed off a feed from Alexis Smith to make it a one-point game, and with 15:06 remaining, Lidge converted two free throws to put Drexel on top for the first time since they led 9-7 early in the contest.

Drexel nudged its lead up to four when Curran worked inside for a bucket at the 12:58 mark. Three minutes later, though, it was tied again at 39. Thompson broke the draw, but UNCW evened things back up again at 41 with 8:59 remaining.

Curran put Drexel up by a bucket with another inside look on the Dragons' next possession, but Drexel could not improve upon its lead over the next three possessions, turning the ball over twice. At that point, Jackie Schluth stepped up when the Dragons needed a spark. The redshirt junior knocked in her first three-pointer of the season and first since the 2011-12 campaign to put Drexel up by five, then hit another tough jumper on the next possession, after an offensive rebound by Thompson gave her the double double, to put Drexel up by seven with 5:46 to play.

UNCW would not creep back within a possession until the final minute, when the Seahawks did briefly make it a three-point game with 30 seconds to play. However, Drexel, which came in as one of the ten best free throw shooting teams in the nation, converted down the stretch, with Smith hitting four free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.

After playing four games in eight days to start league play, the Dragons will have a brief respite before getting back on the court. Drexel will next be in action on Thursday at William & Mary at 7:00 p.m. The game begins Drexel's longest road trip of the season, five days through Virginia which will also take the team to James Madison on Sunday afternoon.