Women's Basketball Fades Late Against Virginia Tech, 79-67

Thursday, November 23

Melbourne, Fla.

2:30 p.m.

Drexel University

2-2

NR/RV Virginia Tech

5-0

Drexel

Virginia Tech

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Fades Late Against Virginia Tech, 79-67

11/23/2017 4:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MELBOURNE, Fla. – A hard-fought second-half comeback effort came up short for the Drexel women's basketball team on Thursday afternoon as the Dragons fell to Virginia Tech on the first day of the Paradise Jam, 79-67. The Dragons, who trailed by 11 at halftime, held a fourth-quarter lead before running out of steam against a fast, physical Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.

Aubree Brown and Bailey Greenberg each set career highs in the contest. Brown finished with 18 including 13 in the second half, while Greenberg netted 16 with four assists. Sara Woods and Kelsi Lidge each chipped in 10 points. Woods was 4-for-6 from the floor with a pair of blocks, while Lidge put together a strong all-around stat line with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. She was 5-for-5 from the floor in 34 minutes of action. Eline Maesschalck scored six, Hannah Nihill added five and Ana Ferariu dropped in two to round out the scoring for the Dragons.

Drexel shot 50 percent from the floor, but had 14 turnovers that turned into 19 Virginia Tech points. The Hokies scored 42 points in the paint and outdid Drexel 16-2 on the fast break.

The Dragons fell behind quickly, as a pair of Kendyl Brooks three-pointers gave Virginia Tech an early 10-2 lead. Drexel responded right away, though, as Sara Woods knocked down a pair of driving lay-ups in traffic to jumpstart the offense. It was 14-10 before another min-run by the Hokies gave Virginia Tech a 19-10 edge late in the first quarter. This time, Eline Maesschalck answered with back-to-back three-pointers that pulled the Dragons back within three.

Early in the second quarter, it was Bailey Greenberg powering the Dragons. She scored the team's first six points in the period, getting the Dragons within one at 23-22 with 8:42 to play before halftime. After a stop, she had a look from three that would have given Drexel its first lead of the afternoon, but it rimmed out.

It was a 31-29 deficit for the Dragons after Woods knocked down a pair of free throws with 3:44 to play before halftime, but that would prove to be the final points of the quarter for the Dragons. Virginia Tech's swarming defense caused hurried shots and hesitant passes on the Dragons' offensive end. Drexel went 0-for-4 from the floor with a pair of turnovers over the last stretch as Virginia Tech went on a 9-0 run to take a 40-29 lead into the break.

The double-digit deficit was a thing of the past very quickly once the second half got underway. The Dragons scored the half's first seven points, and took their first lead at 46-45 with a Brown scoop up and in with 4:46 to play in the quarter. Bailey Greenberg had seven points as part of that early push to take the lead. During that stretch she established a new career scoring high, breaking her previous best of 13.

After Virginia Tech took the lead back, Brown drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Drexel a 49-47 lead that would prove to be its largest of the evening. Down three heading into the fourth quarter, the Dragons once again stormed out of the gates to score four straight, retaking the lead at 60-59. Lidge and Woods provided those buckets.

The teams were scoreless for the next 1:04 before a Hokies three-pointer gave them the lead back, a lead they would not relinquish. In all, the Dragons were kept off the scoreboard for a costly 2:20 as Virginia Tech crept out to a 66-60 lead before Brown dropped in a lay-up to cut it to four. It was only in the last 1:28 that the Hokies pushed the lead out beyond six, ultimately converting at the free throw line to provide their final margin.

The Dragons will get right back to work on Friday afternoon with another shot at an eye-catching victory when they take on No. 11 West Virginia on Day Two at the Paradise Jam. That game will tip off at 3:30 p.m. The Mountaineers survived a scare from Butler in their first game, fending off the Bulldogs in the final minutes for a 75-68 victory earlier on Thursday. Drexel will be searching for its second win in as many years against a team ranked No. 11 in the nation after its win over Syracuse last season.