Record-Setting Day for Creighton Leads to 76-51 Victory for Women's Basketball

Sunday, February 12

Daskalakis Athletic Center

1:00 p.m.

Drexel University

18-6, 9-4

UNCW

9-15, 4-9

UNCW

Drexel

Photo by: Lauren Kleist

Record-Setting Day for Creighton Leads to 76-51 Victory for Women's Basketball

2/12/2017 2:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – In a season that Drexel women's basketball senior point guard Meghan Creighton has dedicated to "Assisting Others," Sunday afternoon saw her step into the spotlight in a record-setting performance. Creighton hit a program- and CAA-record 10 three-pointers for a career-high 30 points, leading the Dragons past UNCW at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, 76-51. Along the way, she notched her 1,000th career point and became just the third player in Colonial Athletic Association history to amass 1,000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds.

Her 10 three-pointers on 14 attempts matched a conference record shared by Alyssa Frye of the College of Charleston and T.J. Jordan of Old Dominion. It also matches the top three-point performance of the season in NCAA Division I women's basketball, a mark Creighton now shares with Natalie Romeo of Washington and Stephanie Watts of North Carolina.

Creighton, the 24th member of Drexel's 1,000 point club, also found a way to post four assists, tying for the game high and bringing her season-to-date pledge total for her Assisting Others campaign over $13,000. When she eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau, Creighton joined Ticha Penicheiro of Old Dominion and Floretta Jackson of James Madison as the only players in conference history with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds. She added one final record just by stepping on the court, establishing a new program record with 133 career games played – all starts.

As a team, the Dragons (18-6, 9-4) drained a season-best 15 three-pointers on 26 attempts, a total that itself is tied for third all-time in CAA history. Jessica Pellechio accounted for three of those, finishing with nine points and four rebounds. Bailey Greenberg also hit a three-pointer on her way to 11 points and a team-high six rebounds, and Ana Ferariu added one as part of her seven points.

Sarah Curran scored 12 with four rebounds and three assists for her career-best 12th consecutive game in double figures. Sara Woods added five points, four rebounds and two assists and Tereza Kracikova scored a pair with four rebounds and a block. Aubree Brown did not score, but filled up the stat sheet otherwise with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block.

For a second-consecutive game, the Dragons never trailed and wasted little time building a double-digit lead. Drexel scored the first eight points of the game, and took its first double-digit edge when Bailey Greenberg nailed a three-pointer with 5:21 remaining in the opening quarter to put the Dragons ahead 13-2. Her trey was already the third of the afternoon for Drexel, which would ultimately go 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half.

Drexel was hitting on all cylinders on the offensive end and more than holding its own on the defensive end. The Dragons held UNCW to just one field goal over the first 9:25 of the game as the Seahawks started 1-for-15 from the floor. Greenberg scored nine points in the first quarter and Sara Woods finished a backdoor lay-up in the closing seconds to give Drexel its most prolific quarter of the season as they led after 10 minutes, 26-8.

The second quarter started just as the first had, with the Dragons reeling off eight consecutive points. The quarter also signaled the beginning of a special afternoon for Creighton, who had three points in the first quarter but exploded for 12 in the second, going 4-for-6 from long range. The last of those, which dropped through with 2:46 remaining before halftime, put her over the 1,000 point mark.

In addition to her rarified standing in CAA and Drexel history, Creighton became the fourth member of the 2013 WNIT champions to reach 1,000, just the second team in Drexel history that featured at least four eventual 1,000-point scorers. She would finish the game with 1,017 points, passing three players to move up to 21st all-time on Drexel's scoring charts.

The first half ended with Drexel on top 50-24, its highest-scoring half of the season and its largest halftime lead of the year. UNCW came out firing in the second half, however, and scored the first seven points of the quarter before Jessica Pellechio stemmed the tied with a three at the 5:45 mark. On Drexel's next possession, Creighton buried her sixth of the afternoon to push Drexel's lead back up to 23, 56-33.

UNCW rallied to score the next seven, capping a 16-6 spurt to open the second half and cut the Dragons' lead to 16, 56-40 with 3:18 remaining in the quarter. Creighton quickly responded, though, taking a feed from Greenberg on the right wing and knocking down her seventh trey of the afternoon to end the Seahawks' push.

Drexel led by 17 with 7:34 to play when Creighton tied the program record of eight, previously shared by Pellechio, Rachel Pearson, Narissa Suber and Ola Snytsina. She wasted little time claiming that mark for herself, sinking her ninth of the day on Drexel's next possession. Creighton made it three in a row, a self-propelled 9-0 run, and established the record of 10 three-pointers with 6:16 to play, giving Drexel a 74-48 lead.

The Dragons' win improved their record to 11-1 at the DAC this season, a .917 winning percentage with two home games remaining. Their best home winning percentage in any season is .909, set in 2000-01, and their most wins at home in a year stands at 12, set in 2007-08 and tied in 2010-11 and 2012-13. The win also was their 11th straight against the Seahawks dating back to Mar. 11, 2011.

Drexel will get back on the road before playing those final two home games, though. The Dragons will look for a fourth-consecutive victory on Friday evening at Towson. That game is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m.