Balanced Effort Leads Women's Basketball By UNCW, 61-44

Sunday, February 1

Wilmington, N.C.

1:00 p.m.

Drexel University

14-7 (8-2CAA)

UNCW

8-13 (4-6CAA)

Drexel

UNCW

Photo by: UNCW Athletics Communications

Balanced Effort Leads Women's Basketball By UNCW, 61-44

2/1/2015 2:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WILMINGTON, N.C. – For at least one set of Seahawks, Super Bowl Sunday will not be a successful one. Five hours before the big game, the Drexel women's basketball team went into UNCW and defeated the host Seahawks, 61-44. A balanced offensive attack was led by Rachel Pearson's 13 points and a career-high 10 for Florence Ouattara as six different Dragons contributed at least seven points. On the defensive end, the Dragons ceded just 14 points in the second half as they pulled away from UNCW.

The Dragons, who are 14-7 overall, moved to 8-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association and remain alone in second place. It is juts the fifth time in program history and the third time in their CAA tenure that the Dragons have won eight of their first 10 conference games. Drexel also extended its season-long winning streak to four games. The Dragons never trailed on Sunday, and have not done so for 116:56 of game time, dating back to a 4-3 deficit against Delaware early on January 25.

Drexel's .519 shooting percentage was its second-best of the season and best since starting CAA play. The Dragons were consistent from start to finish from the floor, hitting 50 percent or better in both halves. In addition to Pearson and Ouattara, Drexel got nine points from Alexis Smith, eight points apiece from Jackie Schluth and Jamila Thompson, seven from Sarah Curran and four from Kelsi Lidge. Thompson added nine rebounds and six assists, both team highs. Carrie Alexander also chipped in a bucket. As a whole, Drexel's bench provided the margin of victory, outscoring UNCW's 23-6.

The Dragons started out hot, hitting four of their first five shots to race out to a 10-2 early lead and forcing a quick UNCW timeout. That stoppage seemed to settle the Seahawks and simultaneously stall the Dragons, as UNCW pushed its way back into the game. The Seahawks got within a point with 8:10 to play when Kelva Atkins drove the length of the floor to flip in a lay-up, making it 16-15.

After Sarah Curran and Rachel Pearson had each hit three-pointers in the Dragons' opening salvo, Drexel started connecting again from long range after UNCW cut it to one. This time, it was redshirt-freshman guard Florence Ouattara who provided a spark off the bench. She scored the game's next five points, then spotted up three minutes later to knock down another three-pointer, giving her eight quick points to lead the Dragons in the first half.

A trey by Pearson and a quick score by Alexis Smith coming off a timeout put Drexel up by nine, 33-24, with 3:18 to play, marking their largest lead of the half. The Dragons went into intermission up by six, 36-30. Drexel shot 53.6 percent from the field in the half, and got 17 points from its bench, primarily from Ouattara and Smith, who had seven. Kelsi Lidge also added two points off the bench. Curran contributed seven, with Pearson adding six.

Though the offense performed well throughout, Drexel's defense stepped up in a big way after halftime. The Seahawks briefly cut the Dragons' lead to five, 38-33, but that is when Drexel turned up the heat. Over the next 6:46, Drexel did not allow a point, scoring nine straight to take a commanding 47-33 lead. They did it mainly by working inside, getting two lay-ups from Jackie Schluth and another from Jamila Thompson. Pearson also added a three-pointer during that stretch. Pearson, whose 13 points led the team, now has scored in double figures in six straight games, a career high.

UNCW made it a 13-point game with 9:06 to play when Ryan Flowers worked inside for a bucket, making it 53-40. Though the Dragons did cool a bit from the floor over the final minutes, Drexel did not let UNCW get any closer. The Dragons shut down the Seahawks, allowing just four more points over the remainder of the game, with both buckets coming on back-to-back possessions with just less than four minutes to play.

The Dragons will be back at the Daskalakis Athletic Center for their next game, on Friday night as they host William & Mary. Drexel will be attempting to complete the season sweep of the Tribe for a fifth-straight season after defeating them in Williamsburg, 49-46, earlier this season. Friday's game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. and will open a busy weekend at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, with a home battle against first-place James Madison looming on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.