Women's Basketball Knocks Off JMU in Double Overtime for Critical CAA Victory

Friday, February 23

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7 p.m.

Drexel University

21-6 (13-2CAA)

James Madison

18-9 (14-2CAA)

OT 1

OT 2

JAMES MADISON

DREXEL

Photo by: Kevin Rossi

Women's Basketball Knocks Off JMU in Double Overtime for Critical CAA Victory

2/23/2018 10:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Fans of Drexel women's basketball may have felt like they'd seen this show before. Leading for most of the night against first-place James Madison, the Dragons let a nine-point second half lead slip away in the fourth quarter. But this time, the script was different as Drexel (21-6, 13-2) withstood the Dukes' late run to force overtime. After five minutes were not enough to settle the matter, the Dragons were finally able to put the Dukes away in double overtime, remaining unbeaten at the Daskalakis Athletic Center this season in a 73-71 thriller.

Aubree Brown led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, 20 of which came after halftime and 10 of which were in overtime. Sara Woods added 17 on 6-of-9 shooting, sinking five of six at the free throw line. She added seven rebounds, tops on the team, as were her four offensive boards. Niki Metzel and Bailey Greenberg added eight each, with Kelsi Lidge scoring seven to go along with six assists and six rebounds before fouling out early in the second overtime.

The win was the first for Drexel against James Madison (18-9, 14-2) since Mar. 16, 2013, and the first at home against the Dukes since Jan. 3, 2010. The Dragons now sit just a half game back of JMU for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association, and tied with the Dukes in the loss column. Wins in their final three games of the year will ensure the Dragons at least a share of the regular season CAA crown, and a potential No. 1 seed in the upcoming CAA Tournament to be held at the DAC.

The Dragons led by nine with 1:41 to play in the third quarter before the Dukes went on a quick 6-2 spurt to end the period trailing 43-38. Drexel, which had led since the 4:14 mark of the first quarter, held onto its lead for the first three minutes of the fourth before the Dukes clawed their way back in front, 49-47, with 6:20 to go.

After 12 straight losses to James Madison, many of which came in similar fashion, the Dragons would not let their fate play out the same way on Friday night. The Dragons answered with a jumper from Woods following her own offensive rebound. Then, after two JMU free throws, it was Brown's turn to reel in a rebound from the offensive glass and drain a bucket. Her lay-up with 3:30 to go put Drexel back in front, though the Dukes would have their own answers down the stretch to send the game to extra time tied at 56.

Drexel never trailed in the first overtime, though they scored just four points over the first 4:14 and allowed the Dukes to remain even. Woods knocked down two free throws with 46 ticks remaining to give Drexel a 62-60 lead, but a Logan Reynolds jumper with 26 seconds remaining knotted things back up at 62-62, where it would remain heading into a second overtime.

When Lidge fouled out just 27 seconds into the second overtime, Madison's Kayla Cooper-Williams managed just one of two from the line, giving the Dukes a one-point edge. Greenberg responded in kind on the other end 22 seconds later, then knocked down both of her attempts on the Dragons' next possession to give Drexel its lead back.

The three free throws from Greenberg opened what would be a 7-0 run for the Dragons that finally allowed them some breathing room. Though the Dragons were a substandard 21-for-32 from the line overall, they did sink nine of 12 in the second overtime, enough to hold the Dukes at bay. JMU, which had been just 1-for-13 from three to that point, did finally sink two in the final 20 seconds and stole the inbounds with six seconds to go to give itself an opportunity to tie or win the game, but a last-second floater from Kamiah Smalls clanked off the back iron and preserved the victory for Drexel.

The Dragons got a key early contribution from Metzel, whose banked-in three-pointer – the first triple of her career – opened a 15-3 Drexel run to give the Dragons a 19-12 lead after JMU had raced out to a 9-4 start. Metzel also had a baseline jumper that tied the game moments after her three.

Megan Marecic finished with five points, including a three-pointer to quell a potential Dukes threat earlier in the second half after they had cut Drexel's lead from nine down to five. Hannah Nihill chipped in two points and two steals.

Should both the Dragons and Dukes win out from here, they would both finish the season 16-2 in league play, with season splits against each other and Elon. The tiebreaker to determine the No. 1 seed would then fall to the team with the highest RPI on the morning following the final regular season games. Drexel, which has games remaining at Towson and Delaware and at home against the College of Charleston, came into Friday's action with an RPI of 53. James Madison, which hosts Delaware and travels to William & Mary, came in with a ranking of 72.

Before worrying about tiebreakers, though, the Dragons will need to take care of business in their final three regular season games. That stretch begins on Sunday when Drexel heads to Maryland to take on Towson. That game tips off at 2 p.m.