Women's Basketball Edged in Heartbreaker at Penn, 72-67

Saturday, December 19

The Palestra

12:00 p.m.

Drexel University

3-6

Penn

6-2

Drexel

Penn

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Edged in Heartbreaker at Penn, 72-67

12/19/2015 2:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – For two teams that are separated by just a couple blocks, home court advantaged has mattered greatly in the series between the Drexel women's basketball team and the Penn Quakers. The two teams have played in each of the last seven seasons, but in every matchup the home team has come away with the victory. That streak remained intact on Saturday as the Dragons fell at Penn in a heartbreaker, 72-67.

Rachel Pearson scored 17 points to lead the Dragons, who held Penn without a field goal for the last 5:57 but still saw their late lead slip away as Penn hit 11 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter. The Dragons were just 3-for-4 from the line on the afternoon, as the Quakers were 24-for-32 overall. Jackie Schluth knocked down six of her eight field goal attempts to finish with a season-high 13 points. Jessica Pellechio added 11 to go along with three boards and three assists.

The first half saw the Quakers pull out to an eight-point halftime lead thanks in large part to an 18-8 disparity in the paint. Sydney Stipanovich scored 14 of her game-high 27 in the first half. Despite that, the Dragons did what they needed to do from beyond the arc to stay close. The team was 5-for-10 from long range in the first half, with Jessica Pellechio and Rachel Pearson each netting a pair. Meanwhile, Jackie Schluth freed the outside shooters up by knocking down a flurry of mid-range jumpers. Schluth was 4-for-5 from the floor in the first half for eight points. Drexel shot 50.0 percent from the floor (13-for-26), but the Quakers hit at a 53.8 percent clip (14-for-26) and was 8-for-10 from the free throw line to take a 41-33 lead into the break.

The second half saw the Dragons clamp down defensively while maintaining their efficiency on the offensive end. Stipanovich found herself in foul trouble early in the second half, and the Dragons were able to take advantage. They went inside often, scoring 16 in the paint in the second half and holding the Quakers to just 10. Michelle Nwokedi, who came in as the Quakers' leading scorer, was held to 1-for-8 from the field, though she did hit nine of 14 free throws to finish with 11 points along with 15 rebounds.

Drexel, meanwhile, was 9-for-15 (60.0 percent) from the floor in the third quarter, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Pearson had seven points in a balanced attack as Drexel erased the Quakers' eight-point halftime lead. The teams went into the fourth quarter dead even at 55 apiece.

The Dragons controlled the game for much of the fourth quarter, but found themselves unable to pull away. After turning the ball over just once in the third quarter, Drexel was forced into a respectable three giveaways in the fourth, but they came at advantageous times for the Quakers, who stayed close. Penn took its first lead of the fourth quarter when Nwokedi knocked down a pair of free throws with 47 seconds to play. Drexel had opportunities in the final minute to tie or take the lead back, but couldn't make it happen.

It was a balanced effort overall from the Dragons, who finished winless in three games against Philadelphia-area teams. In addition to the three in double figures, Drexel got nine points and four assists from Sarah Curran. Kelsi Lidge added five points and a team-high eight rebounds. Carrie Alexander scored four points and led the way with five assists, while Meghan Creighton and Alexis Smith each had three assists to go along with two points. Sara Woods was a perfect 2-for-2 from the floor for four points, adding a rebound. As a team, Drexel gave out a season-best 21 assists on 28 made field goals.

The Dragons won't have long to get over this loss, as they host Quinnipiac in their final non-conference home game on Monday afternoon at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. That game will tip off at 2:00 p.m.