Women’s Basketball Falls Short Against JMU on Senior Night

Friday, February 24

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

20-7, 11-5

James Madison

21-6, 14-2

James Madison

Drexel

Women’s Basketball Falls Short Against JMU on Senior Night

2/24/2017 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – After the Drexel women's basketball team honored one of the most prolific and successful classes in program history during its annual Senior Night ceremony, the Dragons came up just a little short in attempting to pull off what would have been one of their greatest comebacks. Hosting first place James Madison, Drexel fell behind by as many as 21 during the first half before slashing the Dukes' lead to three early in the fourth quarter. That would be as close as they got, however, as the comeback bid ran out of steam and the Dragons fell, 74-64.

Sarah Curran, one third of the first Dragons senior class to feature three 1,000 point scorers, led the Dragons with 14 points and added five rebounds in the loss. Kelsi Lidge matched a season high with 12 and finished just one rebound shy of her first-career double double, pulling down a game-high nine. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, including a three-pointer that started Drexel's comeback effort late in the second quarter. Bailey Greenberg and Sara Woods each scored 11, with Woods' total establishing a new career high for the junior forward. Woods was 5-for-5 from the free throw line, while Greenberg knocked down six of eight. Both grabbed four rebounds.

Senior Meghan Creighton scored seven and had a block, the 10th of her career. Jessica Pellechio, who rounded out the senior trio, scored three and added five rebounds.

Moments after honoring their seniors, the Dragons could not get off to the fast start they hoped for. Drexel hit just one field goal – a Sarah Curran three-pointer – over the first 8:41 of the game and saw James Madison run out to a 16-3 lead before a Meghan Creighton three ended a nearly-six minute Drexel drought. The Dragons were just 2-for-14 from the floor in the quarter as the Dukes took an early 18-6 lead.

James Madison's lead grew to 21 late in the second quarter before the Dragons finally began to come alive on the offensive end. Drexel ended the half on an 11-2 run which started on a three-pointer by Kelsi Lidge and included another trey by Curran as well as three free throws by Lidge and Tereza Kracikova.

Despite going just 3-for-15 from the floor inside the arc, the Dragons were able to cut James Madison's halftime lead back down to 12 thanks largely to their prowess from outside, where they hit five of 12 attempts. Drexel also rebounded better in the second quarter, outdoing the Dukes 11-8 on the glass in the period. Curran finished the first half with nine points to lead the way for Drexel, while Bailey Greenberg sank a three-pointer as part of her six points.

The Dragons would ultimately hold James Madison without a point for 5:04 of action, spanning the final 2:30 of the first half and the first 2:34 of the second. The deficit was down to seven when Curran drained her second jumper of the third quarter with 6:21 remaining, but the Dukes regrouped on offense and pushed the lead back to 12 before heading to the fourth quarter ahead by 11, 56-45.

In the fourth, the Dragons wasted little time mounting their most serious threat of the evening. Jessica Pellechio got things started with a three, and Greenberg added a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game. With 7:37 to play, Lidge stretched for an offensive rebound, adding a putback which pulled the Dragons to within four. James Madison got on the board in the quarter with a single free throw, but Sara Woods drove to the hoop and drew a foul, converting both attempts from the charity stripe to get Drexel within three at 57-54.

The Dragons had a chance to cut into the lead even further, but came up empty and Precious Hall, who finished with a game-high 24 points, scored three straight for the Dukes to stretch their lead back to six. Down the stretch, the Dragons were able to cut the lead back to four on multiple occasions but could get no closer. The Dukes would finish the night by hitting four straight from the free throw line to provide the final 10-point margin.

Drexel, which is now locked into the No. 3 seed in the upcoming CAA Tournament thanks to the defeat, finishes its home slate with a 12-2 mark, matching a program record for home wins in a season. The Dragons close the year with two on the road and can match or break a team record for wins in a regular season. The Dragons won 21 games in the 2008-09 regular season, their most all-time.

The two-game season-ending road trip begins on Sunday afternoon on Long Island when the Dragons visit Hofstra. Drexel can sweep the Pride in a season series for the first time since the Dragons' CAA championship season of 2008-09 when the teams tip things off at 2:00 p.m.