Women's Basketball Stifles Manhattan, 53-39

Friday, December 7

Riverdale, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Drexel University

6-1

Manhattan

2-6

Drexel

Manhattan

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

12/7/2018 9:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – For just the third time in program history, the Drexel women's basketball team has won six of its first seven games after the Dragons stymied Manhattan on Friday night, 53-39. The Dragons led early and seized control in the middle quarters as they left themselves one win away from the Manhattan Holiday Classic title.

Aubree Brown finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists while Bailey Greenberg led the team for a seventh consecutive game with 15 points. She added eight boards, also a game high as Drexel outdid the Jaspers on the glass, 40-29. Kayla Bacon, making her first collegiate start, finished with eight points to match a career high along with two rebounds. Tereza Kracikova added seven off the bench, and matched a personal best with three steals. Mariah Leonard finished with four points and six boards, Hannah Nihill chipped in three points and six rebounds, and Ana Ferariu added two points and a pair of rebounds. Niki Metzel did not score, but had seven rebounds. The Dragons turned the ball over 18 times on an unremarkable night for the offense, but forced 21 turnovers by the Jaspers to limit the damage.

After ceding a pair of quick Manhattan baskets to open the proceedings, the Dragons faced their first deficit at any point in a game since trailing at the end of the first quarter against Bucknell on Nov. 15. They had an answer, though, rattling off a 10-2 run to take a 10-6 lead it would not relinquish. Aubree Brown had four points in the burst for the Dragons and finished with a team-best seven in the first quarter.

Leading 10-8 with 3:17 to play in the first, the Dragons' defense locked in. Drexel did not allow another Jaspers field goal over the ensuing 11:01, by which point the Dragons had built a 21-9 advantage. Manhattan was held completely scoreless for 9:10 of game action. Tereza Kracikova put up five points in the second quarter to fuel the Dragons on the offensive end as they took a 24-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Dragons put the game away with a 9-0 run early in the third quarter. Up 26-16 with 7:43 to play in the quarter, Bailey Greenberg took a pass from Brown and sank a short jumper to spark the run. Seconds later, Brown found her again, this time at the top of the key for a three-pointer that made it 31-16. Brown made it three straight assists with 6:21 to play when she fed Ana Ferariu inside for a bucket, and Kracikova capped the scoring run with 3:49 to go.

In all, Drexel held the Jaspers to just three points over the first 6:55 of the third quarter, and built as much as a 23-point lead before the clock rolled over to the fourth quarter.

Manhattan made a late charge fueled by a pair of Sydney Watkins three-pointers, cutting the lead down to 12 at one point, but could get no closer as Brown scored four straight to end what had been an 8-0 Jaspers spurt.

The Dragons will face a quick turnaround as they look to improve to 7-1 for the first time in program history. Drexel, which came into the weekend ranked No. 7 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, will face the 18th-ranked team in that poll, Wright State, Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. With a win, Drexel would also claim its second tournament championship of the young season after also winning the TD Bank Classic over Thanksgiving weekend in Vermont.