Women's Basketball Takes Control Early in Quarterfinal Win Over Tribe

Thursday, March 14

Newark, Del.

5 p.m.

Drexel University

23-7

William & Mary

15-16

William & Mary

Drexel

Women's Basketball Takes Control Early in Quarterfinal Win Over Tribe

3/14/2019 8:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. – The Drexel women's basketball team took control in the second quarter and never looked back as the second-seeded Dragons advanced to the CAA Semifinals for the seventh time in eight years with a 71-60 victory over William & Mary on Thursday evening at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Dragons (23-7) got double-figure scoring efforts from four different players and knocked down seven three-pointers to jump all over the seventh-seeded Tribe (15-16).

Niki Metzel scored 20 points, one shy of her career high, adding six rebounds to lead the way. Bailey Greenberg and Keishana Washington both scored 11. Greenberg added a game-high nine rebounds and a pair of assists. She did not miss a shot in the contest, going 4-for-4 from the field with a three-pointer and knocking down both free throws she attempted. Aubree Brown added 10 points, nailing a pair of early three-pointers that set the tone after the Tribe had taken an early lead.

Maura Hendrixson and Eline Maesschalck scored six apiece, with Hendrixson handing out three assists and Maesschalck adding one. Hannah NIhill scored four and came up with four steals. In the process, she became the program's all-time leader in CAA Tournament steals, leaving herself with 16 through just four career tournament games. Kayla Bacon added three points on her first career three-pointer, a bucket that gave Drexel a lead it would not relinquish late in the first quarter.

The Dragons trailed by five midway through the first quarter, but closed the period on a 14-5 run powered by a pair of Brown three-pointers as well as triples from Bacon and Hendrixson. Drexel's four threes in the run doubled the team's overall total from their triple-overtime loss to the Tribe on March 1.

Drexel's lead was just two, 23-21, with 7:19 to play in the second quarter when Metzel drove inside and scored, drawing a foul and finishing the three-point play. That started a 12-0 Dragons stretch that changed the tone of the game. Neither the Dragons nor the Tribe had managed a double-digit lead in either of the team's regular season games, but Drexel held a 35-21 lead after Maesschalck's second bucket capped the run with 4:22 to go before halftime.

The Dragons hit nine of 12 field goal attempts in the second quarter and shot 61.5 percent from the floor overall in the first half, grabbing a 43-30 halftime lead. Drexel's point total was its highest at halftime all season.

Though the Dragons cooled from long range in the second half, knocking down just one of six from beyond the arc, they got looks down low and converted, particularly Metzel. She went 5-for-6 from the field after halftime, adding five free throws to net 15 second-half points. Drexel allowed the Tribe to hang around and become the first team to score 60 points in regulation against the Dragons this season, but held onto a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

Drexel will now advance to play No. 7 Northeastern in the semifinals on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. The first game of the semifinals, featuring No. 4 Towson and No. 9 Hofstra, tips off at 1:00 p.m.