Women's Basketball Tripped Up at JMU, 56-48

Sunday, January 7

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

Drexel University

2-110-5 | CAA

James Madison

4-08-7 | CAA

Drexel

JMU

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

1/7/2018 4:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Despite a career-high 19 points from Bailey Greenberg, the offense struggled for the Drexel women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon as the Dragons fell at James Madison, 56-48. The loss was the first of the Colonial Athletic Association season for the Dragons, who dropped to 2-1 in league play.

Drexel was done in by a 15-0 James Madison run in the third quarter that turned a four-point Dragons lead into an 11-point deficit. As a team, Drexel shot just 33.9 percent (19-for-56) from the field and turned the ball over 18 times, tied for its second-highest total of the season.

Greenberg's 19 points led all scorers, as the sophomore went 7-for-15 from the floor with a perfect 4-for-4 showing at the free throw line. She added four rebounds as Drexel hung with the Dukes on the glass, grabbing 35 boards to the Dukes' 36. No other Dragons reached double figures, with Eline Maesschalck scoring eight and Kelsi Lidge adding seven with nine rebounds and three assists. Aubree Brown and Sara Woods each scored six, with Megan Marecic adding a pair. Brown had five assists, tops on the team.

The Dragons jumped out to a fast start, going 3-for-4 from the floor to open up a 7-0 lead and prompt a quick James Madison timeout. Bailey Greenberg had five of those points, with Sara Woods adding the other two. The timeout settled things down for the Dukes, who hit a three-pointer out of the break to get on the board.

Offenses on both sides struggled the rest of the first quarter, with Drexel maintaining its lead throughout. James Madison went just 1-for-8 from inside the arc in the opening quarter, with an offense fueled by a pair of three-pointers.

Greenberg continued to pace the Drexel offense in the second quarter. In all, the sophomore finished 6-for-10 from the field with 13 points in the first half. She was one of just three Dragons to get on the scoreboard before halftime, with Woods adding six and Aubree Brown contributing three. Despite the unbalanced offensive attack, Drexel led for most of the half and held a 22-20 edge at intermission. The Dragons did a solid job on the glass, outrebounding James Madison 18-17 in the first half and limiting the Dukes to just four second-chance points.

Leading 26-22 early in the third quarter, the Dragons' offense sputtered to a half that ultimately proved fatal. Greenberg's lay-up with 8:03 to play, giving Drexel that four-point edge, would be the last Dragons points for 7:40 of game time as the Dukes rattled off 15 consecutive. James Madison took the lead for good with 6:06 to play in the third when Hailee Barron, who finished with a team-best 13, sank a three-pointer to put the Dukes up 28-26. The Dragons ultimately went 0-for-9 from the floor with five turnovers during the stretch before Maesschalck knocked down a three-pointer with 1:23 to play to cut the deficit to 37-29.

The Dragons clawed their way back early in the fourth quarter, with much needed three-pointers from Brown and Maesschalck making it a 41-39 game with 6:35 to play. The Dragons had a chance to tie or take the lead, but couldn't get a shot off as James Madison responded with seven quick points to rebuild a nine-point edge. Drexel would not get closer than four points down the rest of the way.

The Dragons will remain in Virginia for its next game, a makeup of Friday night's postponed visit to William & Mary. Drexel and the Tribe will tip things off on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. from Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg.