Women's Basketball Done in By Charleston's Fourth Quarter Push, 79-75

Friday, February 3

Charleston, S.C.

6:30 p.m.

Drexel University

15-6, 6-4

College of Charleston

7-14, 4-6

Drexel

Col. of Charleston

Photo by: Ryan Samson

Women's Basketball Done in By Charleston's Fourth Quarter Push, 79-75

2/3/2017 8:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A game of scoring runs saw the Drexel women's basketball team unable to answer the last one for the host College of Charleston as the Dragons fell to the Cougars, 79-75. Drexel gave up a season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter after leading by three heading into the final 10 minutes, as the Dragons lost when scoring at least 70 points for the first time since a 78-73 double-overtime defeat at Northeastern on Feb. 23, 2014.

Jessica Pellechio scored a game-high 21 points, hitting seven of Drexel's season-high 13 three-pointers, to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Sarah Curran also reached 20 points, her career-best ninth consecutive game in double figures. She also led the way with five assists. Meghan Creighton added 14 points, four assists and three steals.

All eight Dragons who got in the game scored at least two points. In addition to the seniors reaching double figures, Tereza Kracikova and Aubree Brown each netted six points, Bailey Greenberg chipped in four, and Sara Woods and Ana Ferariu each scored two. Greenberg had four assists and Woods pulled down six rebounds while Brown had five and three steals. Kracikova also had three steals, a career best, and a block.

The story of the game was scoring runs for both teams. The Dragons opened the game quickly, hitting three of their first five from the floor to build a 12-4 lead. Sarah Curran scored the game's first four points and Meghan Creighton sank a pair of three-pointers to help Drexel get off to its fast start.

Up by eight with 4:47 to play in the first quarter, the Dragons suddenly went cold. Drexel missed nine of its last 10 attempts from the floor in the quarter as the host Cougars rattled off 14 consecutive points to take an 18-12 lead. In total, the Dragons were held scoreless for 5:50 before a Curran lay-up with 8:57 remaining in the second quarter cut Charleston's lead to 18-14.

Though the Dragons found their stroke offensively in the second quarter, it took them a while to see results on the defensive end. Charleston was able to extend its lead to eight and maintained a 28-20 edge with 5:05 remaining before Curran took over and the defense turned up the pressure.

Drexel forced six turnovers by the Cougars in the final five minutes of the half, and allowed just one field goal during that time. Meanwhile, Curran powered a 14-2 Drexel run to close the period. Curran was 3-for-3 from the floor with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws during the run, which was also aided by a Jessica Pellechio three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Bailey Greenberg, who also had a career-high four assists by halftime.

Drexel regained the lead at 29-28 on an off-balance runner by Curran that circled the rim and fell. She ultimately scored the Dragons' last nine points and finished the half with 15, sending the Dragons into the locker room with a 34-30 lead.

The second half opened with a 12-3 run by the College of Charleston to seize a 42-37 lead. Breanna Bolden, who was one of two Cougars to score 19 points, and Dajah Logan each contributed five points to the Cougars' spurt.

It was 46-40 Charleston when Drexel rattled off a 10-0 stretch of its own. Kracikova scored four, all from the line, as Creighton and Pellechio each knocked down three-pointers. Another Pellechio three made it 53-48 with a minute to play in the quarter, a lead which would turn out to be the Dragons' largest in the second half.

Drexel led by three, 53-50, heading into the fourth quarter but after Creighton and Charleston's Darien Huff exchanged three-pointers, the Cougars began yet another scoring run that would ultimately prove decisive. Charleston scored nine in a row as part of an 11-1 push that left the Cougars ahead by seven, 64-57, with 6:01 to play. The Dragons quickly cut it to three on a Woods free throw and a Pellechio trey, but could not get the stop they needed to give themselves a chance to even things up.

Charleston would ultimately extend its lead back out to eight, matching its largest advantage of the contest, with 1:25 to go. The Dragons were not done, though. They scored 14 points over the next 1:06 as Charleston was able to add just four points from the line. Curran's three-pointer with 19 seconds to play made it a two-point game, 77-75, but the Cougars were able to get a pass over the pressure for an easy lay-up, and the Dragons came up empty on their final possession.

The game saw Meghan Creighton play 40 minutes, leaving her tied with Narissa Suber (2004-08) as the program's all-time leader in minutes played with 4,314. It was also Creighton's 130th career appearance, all starts, as she extended her program record for starts and became just the fifth player in Drexel women's basketball history to play in 130 games.

The Dragons will remain on the road for their next game as they take on archrival Delaware on Sunday afternoon in Newark. That game tips off at 2:00 p.m.