Women’s Basketball Upsets No. 11 Syracuse, 62-61

Monday, November 21

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

3-1

No. 11/14 Syracuse

3-1

#11 Syracuse

Drexel

Photo by: Ryan Samson

Women’s Basketball Upsets No. 11 Syracuse, 62-61

11/21/2016 8:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The last time the Syracuse women's basketball team felt the sting of defeat, it was at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as the Orange fell in last season's national championship game. This time, it was at the John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center as the Drexel women's basketball team upset No. 11/14 Syracuse, 62-61 on a late three-pointer from senior point guard Meghan Creighton.

The win was the second in program history over a ranked opponent and the first since edging No. 25 James Madison, 68-67, at home on Jan. 3, 2010. It was also Drexel's first-ever win over a program out of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Creighton, who stepped into the game-winner from the right wing with Drexel (3-1) down by two and the clock ticking under 10 seconds, finished with a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers. She was 7-for-10 from long range and added five rebounds and three assists.

Sarah Curran scored 14 points while Bailey Greenberg added 10 for a balanced Drexel scoring attack that hit nine three-pointers. Jessica Pellechio contributed nine points and a team-best six rebounds. Kelsi Lidge dished out six assists to lead the way, also a career best, while pulling down four rebounds and coming up with four steals. Aubree Brown helped out with four assists and a pair of boards while Sara Woods chipped in four points.

The game saw 16 lead changes and nine ties as most of the game was played as a one-possession affair either way. As has been its trademark for the past several seasons, Drexel played excellent defense and made the most of its offensive possessions. The Orange came into the game averaging more than 90 points per game and forcing almost 38 turnovers a contest, the latter the nation's best mark. Drexel held them 30 points below their season average, and turned the ball over just 13 times while forcing 17 Syracuse giveaways.

Despite the eye-opening defensive effort, the Dragons found themselves down by six, their largest deficit, with just 2:23 to play. After an empty offensive possession things looked even more bleak, but Kelsi Lidge came up with a critical steal that eventually led to a pair of free throws from Meghan Creighton on the other end after a Syracuse technical foul – her only points that did not come from long distance. The Orange hit one of two free throws to inch the lead back to five, and the teams proceeded to trade free throws from Sarah Curran and Briana Day to leave the Orange ahead 60-55 with 1:23 to play.

Sixteen seconds later, freshman Bailey Greenberg hit a turnaround floater from the baseline to cut the Syracuse lead to three. The Orange brought the ball upcourt, where Day promptly turned it back over on an offensive foul.

The Dragons called their final timeout with 35 seconds to play as Syracuse trapped them and almost forced a 10-second violation in the backcourt. The break paid off, as Creighton found Curran underneath for an easy bucket to make it a one-point game with 20 seconds remaining.

Needing to foul, Drexel was forced to send Syracuse leading scorer Alexis Peterson to the line. She had hit 15 of her 18 attempts to that point, but she missed the first. Her second was true, but Syracuse led by just two. Drexel quickly brought the ball upcourt and got it to Lidge at the top of the key. She drew the defense and kicked it off to Creighton on the right wing for the game's biggest shot.

Syracuse had a last look, but Peterson had to force up a contested jumper in the lane that clanged off the back iron.

The game was close throughout. Greenberg and Creighton combining for the first five points of the game as Drexel built an early 11-4 lead, the largest deficit faced by Syracuse to that point all season. The Orange responded with a 9-0 run to take a brief lead before Sara Woods knocked down a floater as the shot clock expired to give the Dragons the lead back.

The teams seesawed back and forth for the rest of the first half, with Syracuse leading by no more than two and the Dragons on top by no more than three points throughout the second quarter. In all, there were 10 lead changes in the opening 20 minutes to go along with five ties, including a 31-31 deadlock at halftime.

Drexel hung with the bigger players from Syracuse and locked down defensively on the high-powered Syracuse offense. Though the Orange pulled down six offensive rebounds to the Dragons' two, Drexel kept the Orange in check and actually outdid Syracuse 5-2 in second-chance points in the opening half. Ironically the Dragons, who lead the nation in free throw percentage since the start of the 2014-15 season, played the Orange even in the first half despite hitting just one of four from the line. Syracuse was not much better, hitting just two of seven.

The Orange appeared like they may be able to take charge early in the second half, going on an 8-3 run to open the second half before Greenberg knocked down a jumper to cut the lead to three. Creighton followed with a three-pointer to knot things back up. The Dragons surged ahead briefly, 44-41, before the Orange closed the third quarter on a 5-0 run.

Drexel will now have five days off to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action on Sunday at Bucknell. That game, which pits two of the top mid-major programs in the region, will tip off at 2:00 p.m. The Dragons will not return to the DAC until Dec. 13 when they host Niagara.