Second Half Surge Lifts Women's Basketball at UNCW, 58-40

Sunday, February 11

Wilmington, N.C.

1 p.m.

Drexel University

19-6 (11-2CAA)

UNCW

8-16 (1-12CAA)

Drexel

UNCW

Photo by: UNCW Athletics Communications

Second Half Surge Lifts Women's Basketball at UNCW, 58-40

2/11/2018 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WILMINGTON, N.C. – In danger of dropping their second consecutive game, the Drexel women's basketball team shut the door on host UNCW on Sunday afternoon with a 17-0 run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters, eventually pulling out to a 58-40 victory. The win improved the Dragons to 19-6 on the season and 11-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play.

Drexel led by just six, 35-29, when Bailey Greenberg knocked down a three-pointer that would provide the first points in the decisive run with 3:30 to play in the third quarter. Kelsi Lidge, who finished with a game-high 11 points and nine rebounds, added a lay-up after an Aubree Brown offensive rebound two minutes later to give Drexel a 40-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth opened with a frenzy for Drexel. It started with a patented mid-range jumper from Sara Woods, followed by a Megan Marecic three-pointer. After a UNCW timeout, Marecic buried her second three of the afternoon, then fed a streaking Lidge on the next possession for a runner to make it 50-29 and force another Seahawks timeout.

Niki Metzel capped the 17-0 run with a short jumper at the 6:43 mark. After a three-pointer by UNCW's Timber Tate momentarily stopped the bleeding, Drexel opened up another vein with quick successive lay-ups by Lidge and Brown that led to UNCW calling its final timeout of the afternoon. By then, the Dragons led 56-32 – what would prove to be their largest cushion of the afternoon – and the team's 13th consecutive victory in the series with UNCW was well in hand.

Drexel had opportunities to put the game away earlier. The 7:35 during which the Dragons rattled off its 17 consecutive points was not, in fact, the longest field goal drought of the afternoon for the Seahawks. That came earlier, when UNCW was held without a bucket for the final 8:57 of the second quarter. In all, UNCW went 10:20 between field goals before a three-pointer by Madison Raque ended that dry spell with 7:37 to play in the third quarter.

Despite that, Raque's three-pointer left UNCW trailing by only three at that point. Drexel had gone just 4-for-15 itself in the second quarter and found itself uncharacteristically unable to force turnovers and create offense from its defense. By game's end, Drexel had 13 turnovers compared to just 10 for UNCW, the second time this season that a Drexel opponent had fewer turnovers than the Dragons (Nov. 24 vs. No. 11 West Virginia).

Nevertheless, the Dragons buckled down when they had to in order to avoid the upset. Lidge's 11 points led the way, with Brown adding 10 point and seven rebounds. Both players dished out three assists. Megan Marecic had six helpers, doubling her previous career high, to go along with six points and two steals. Bailey Greenberg scored nine, while Eline Maesschalck – who hit a pair of three-pointers that sparked Drexel to life just before the 17-0 run began – finished with six. Ana Ferariu also had six points, with Woods and Hannah Nihill each adding four and Metzel chipping in two.

The Dragons will now enjoy the second of their two conference byes, as they do not play next Friday night. The next outing for Drexel will come next Sunday, Feb. 18, when the Dragons welcome William & Mary into the Daskalakis Athletic Center at 2 p.m.