Women's Basketball Races Out to 76-62 Win Over Butler in Paradise Jam Finale

Saturday, November 25

Melbourne, Fla.

3:30 p.m.

Drexel University

3-3

Butler

4-3

Butler

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Races Out to 76-62 Win Over Butler in Paradise Jam Finale

11/25/2017 5:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MELBOURNE, Fla. – The sun came out for the first time on the Drexel women's basketball team's three-day trip to the Paradise Jam on the east coast of Florida, which proved to be a good omen for the Dragons as they got the first victory of the trip, 76-62 over Butler on Saturday afternoon. The Dragons got a spark from senior Megan Marecic making her first collegiate start to run out to their best start of the season and never looked back in the first meeting between the two programs.

Five Dragons scored in double figures for the second time this season after the program had gone more than three years without accomplishing that feat. Marecic and Bailey Greenberg each had a team-best 15 points. For the senior, that established a new career high and included 13 points in an eye-popping first quarter. Sara Woods also netted a personal best with 14 points. Kelsi Lidge added 12 points and four rebounds to wrap up an impressive all-around tournament, and Hannah Nihill netted 10 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting. Aubree Brown scored six and dished out a career-high nine assists with a block and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Niki Metzel and Ana Ferariu scored two apiece to round out the Dragons' line.

Inserted into the lineup for the first time, Megan Marecic provided the offensive spark the Dragons have been looking for since arriving in Florida. In the first quarter, the senior from Pittsburgh went 4-for-4 from the floor including 3-for-3 from long range. She added a pair of free throws to net 13 points, four better than her previous career high, in the first 10 minutes of action. Marecic also grabbed three rebounds and dished out an assist in an excellent performance in the first quarter as Drexel led after one for the first time this year, 23-17.

Late in the first, though, Marecic was saddled with her second personal foul, as was senior Kelsi Lidge – who had complemented Marecic with six points of her own – early in the second quarter. Playing without those two, the Dragons found other sources ready to step up on the offensive end. Bailey Greenberg scored five points the second quarter, including one of Drexel's seven first-half three pointers. Sara Woods added four points in the second quarter and had eight in total by the end of the first half. Niki Metzel also knocked down a jumper and Ana Ferariu slashed to the hoop for two as Drexel managed to expand its lead to 39-31 by halftime.

Hannah Nihill, who also had one of the Dragons' threes late in the first quarter, dished out a pair of assists in the second and Aubree Brown finished the first half with four total helpers as Drexel boasted assists on nine of its 14 made field goals before intermission against just four turnovers.

The Dragons led by 13, 54-41, with 3:53 to play in the third quarter before the Bulldogs made their strongest charge of the afternoon. Butler ratteld off eight straight points over the next 2:08, prompting a Dragons timeout with a 54-49 lead. In the break, head coach Denise Dillon drew up an inbounds play for Lidge, who knocked down a three to push the lead back up to eight where it stayed at the end of the quarter. Lidge, who had not hit a three-pointer on the year heading into yesterday's action, finished with eight over the last two games on 8-of-12 shooting overall.

Drexel held a double-digit lead for much of the fourth quarter as the Dragons wore down the Bulldogs in the teams' third game in three days. Lidge's fourth three-pointer of the afternoon was Drexel's 11th as a team, matching a season high set in the opener at Penn State.

The Dragons will now return to Philadelphia, where they will enjoy a few days off before hosting Lafayette at the Daskalakis Athletic Center next Friday, Dec. 1. That game tips off at 7 p.m.