Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
11-8,8-6CAA
James Madison
13-9,9-6CAA
Dragons Fall to JMU in Regular Season Finale, 61-51
2/28/2021 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Philadelphia – The Drexel women's basketball team closed the 2020-21 regular season on Sunday at the Daskalakis Athletic Center with a 61-51 loss to James Madison. The Dragons finished the regular season with an 11-8 record and an 8-6 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play. James Madison moved past Drexel into third in the CAA with a 9-6 mark (13-9 overall).
NOTABLE
* Keishana Washington led the Dragons with 16 points.
* Mariah Leonard contributed 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. She was an efficient 5-for-8 from the floor.
* Kayla Bacon tied Leonard for the team lead with seven rebounds.
* Hannah Nihill scored 10 points and came up with six steals, which tied her career-high.
*Claire Neff led all players with 17 points for JMU. She also had nine rebounds.
GAMEPLAY
Q1 /
James Madison opened the game with two 3-pointers, but Drexel answered with eight straight of its own to take the lead at 8-6. The game was tight the entire quarter. James Madison scored the final three points of the quarter to take a 21-18 lead after one period. Keishana Washington had a big first quarter for DU. She scored 10 points and was 3-for-5 from the field.
Q2 /
The Dukes shot 6-for-11 in the second quarter and took an eight-point lead to intermission. Anne Diouf did most of the damage, making all four of her shots on the way to eight second-quarter points. Mariah Leonard scored six points in the quarter and was 3-for-3 from the field. As a team, Drexel shot just 25 percent in the second.
Q3 /
The Dragons chipped three points off the James Madison halftime lead. Leonard continued her strong play with seven of Drexel's 14 points. Drexel's defense tightened up. It held the Dukes to just three baskets and 23 percent shooting. The Dragons had a nice contribution from Hetta Saatman who had four boards against the Dukes. Each team had 11 rebounds in the quarter after the Dukes held a 10-board advantage heading into the second half.
Q4 /
The Dukes extended their lead in the first two minutes with a 6-0 run forcing the Dragons to call a timeout. The Dragons answered with a Hannah Nihill 3-pointer before the Dukes scored back-to-back buckets. JMU's lead was at 12 points with 6:23, but again, like on Saturday, the Dragons would not go away. Washington sank a 3-pointer before Leonard and Kayla Bacon each sank a pair of free throws to make it a 56-51 game with 2:42 remaining. That was as close as it would get as the Dukes scored the final five points of the contest.
BY THE NUMBERS
* Drexel shot just 29 percent from the floor and made just two of its 12 fourth-quarter field goal attempts.
* The Dragons' defense once again pressured the Dukes. JMU committed 22 turnovers in the game.
* JMU's bench came up big in the game, scoring 37 points.
NEXT UP
Drexel will be off until the Colonial Athletic Association Championships. The Dragons will play in the CAA Quarterfinals beginning on Thursday, March 11, at Elon University.
