Women's Basketball Downs College of Charleston, 64-47

Friday, January 30

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

13-7, 7-2

College of Charleston

4-16, 2-7

COFC

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Downs College of Charleston, 64-47

1/30/2015 9:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The Drexel women's basketball team won its third-straight game, defeating the College of Charleston on Friday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, 64-47. The Dragons led the entire game, holding Charleston to just 11 points in a lockdown defensive effort in the first half.

The win improves the Dragons to 13-7, alone in second place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 7-2 mark. It also finishes a 7-2 month of January, the Dragons' most successful month since going 7-1 in February, 2013. Rachel Pearson hit six three-pointers and Sarah Curran was 8-for-11 from the floor as each scored 18 points to lead the way. Alexis Smith added 10 points, five assists and three steals, while Jamila Thompson chipped in four points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Jackie Schluth also contributed seven points to go along with four rebounds.

Jackie Luna-Castro led the College of Charleston (4-16, 2-7) with 14 points. Breanna Bolden added 10.

It was a tough start for both teams from the floor in the first half, with the Dragons scoring the game's only two field goals over the first seven minutes. In all, Drexel managed to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard for the first 8:38 of play, going up 6-0 before Shannon Hines hit the College of Charleston's first bucket. Drexel made it a 10-2 game before the Cougars began to climb back in it, scoring the next six to pull within a field goal.

After missing their first six from long range, Drexel finally connected when Sarah Curran made it 13-8 with a trey from the left wing. Charleston responded with a lay-up to make it a three-point game, but Rachel Pearson followed with the first of three first-half three-pointers she would hit, making it a 16-10 contest. That sparked a 16-1 run over the half's last 5:05 that sent the Dragons into the locker room up by 18, 29-11. Pearson and Curran each scored nine in the period. Between them, they hit seven field goals – two more than the entire College of Charleston team.

Drexel shot just 12-for-31 from the floor in the half, but held the Cougars to 5-of-26 shooting (19.2 percent). Charleston did not hit a three-pointer and turned the ball over eight times in the half.

That burst in the first half's final minutes would prove valuable for the Dragons. The Cougars came out firing to start the second half, hitting eight of their first nine field goals in the second half. Although that cut dramatically into the Dragons' lead, it still stood at 10 points with 15:06 to play thanks in part to a couple of Schluth scores early in the half. Up by 10, the Dragons responded with a jumper from Smith and a three-pointer by Curran to push the lead back to 15.

Charleston continued to shoot effectively throughout the second half, finishing at a 53.3 percent clip in the period. The Cougars cut Drexel's lead as low as eight with 11:19 remaining when Bolden got a steal and scored, but Pearson responded with a three-pointer to get the lead back to double digits.

Drexel methodically rebuilt its lead over the closing minutes of the game. After the Cougars closed to within nine, 52-43, with 5:41 remaining, their last time within single digits, Drexel scored the next eight points to seal the game away. Sara Woods' short jumper with 43 seconds to play provided the final 17-point margin.

The Dragons will be right back to work on Sunday afternoon when they visit UNCW at 1:00 p.m. The Dragons have four Friday-Sunday weekends in Colonial Athletic Association play this season; this is the only one that will see them leave the comforts of the DAC. Drexel defeated the Seahawks in the teams' first meeting this season, 58-53 in Philadelphia on January 11.