Women's Basketball Completes Improbable Run to CAA Title, 63-52 Over Delaware

Saturday, March 13

Schar Center / Elon, N.C.

5 p.m.

Drexel University

14-8,8-6CAA

Delaware

21-4,16-2CAA

Drexel

Delaware

Women's Basketball Completes Improbable Run to CAA Title, 63-52 Over Delaware

3/13/2021 6:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ELON, N.C. – After years of heartbreak and close calls, the Drexel women's basketball team completed its remarkable run through the 2021 CAA Championships on Saturday, defeating top-seeded Delaware in the championship game, 63-52. The Dragons' title is the second in program history and first since 2009. Drexel was appearing in its third consecutive CAA final and seventh overall.

HIGHLIGHTS
Junior Keishana Washington was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after back-to-back 30-point efforts. She scored 18 of her 30 on Saturday night in the second half, helping Drexel overcome a nine-point halftime deficit. Senior Hannah Nihill, who was also named to the All-Tournament Team, scored all 14 of her points after intermission, going 5-for-6 from the floor and knocking down both of her three-point attempts in the second half while sparking the defensive effort that held the Blue Hens to a 5-for-32 showing from the field after the break.

Junior Kate Connolly capped an impressive debut at the CAA Tournament with seven points, a block, and two assists despite being hampered by foul trouble for much of the second half. She joined her backcourt teammates on the All-Tournament Team.

Mariah Leonard, a graduate student who overcame injuries that cost her two full seasons of action earlier in her career, chipped in six points, four rebounds, and two steals in 30 minutes. Senior Kayla Bacon, playing in her 100th career game as a dependable reserve option, added four points, three boards and two assists. Hetta Saatman scored two points and had a block, while Brianne Borcky and Jasmine Valentine provided valuable minutes off the bench.

Amy Mallon, who took over as head coach of the Dragons after 17 seasons as part of former head coach Denise Dillon's staff, captured the title in her first season at the helm. She becomes the first rookie head coach in more than 35 years to win a CAA title, following Emily Manwaring of East Carolina in 1985.

GAME PLAY
Q1:
The Dragons got off to a quick start with threes from Connolly and Washington. A long jumper by Connolly made it an 8-3 game, but the Blue Hens followed with eight straight before a scooped-in layup by Connolly made it an 11-10 game. Late in the quarter, Drexel got offensive contributions from Kayla Bacon and Hetta Saatman, whose long baseline jumper made it a 17-17 game at the end of the quarter.

Q2:
Drexel took a 25-21 lead with five straight points midway through the quarter, but Bacon's jumper with 5:00 to play would prove to be the Dragons' final points of the half. Delaware closed the half on a 13-0 run to take a 34-25 cushion into intermission.

Q3:
After being held off the scoreboard in the first half, Hannah Nihill netted five quick points early in the third quarter to slash into Delaware's lead, making it a 36-32 game with 6:42 to play in the period. That was just the beginning of a big quarter for the senior, scoring 13 with two rebounds and a steal to help the Dragons erase that deficit and take a 45-39 lead into the fourth quarter. Delaware was held off the scoreboard entirely for 5:29, and went just 1-for-15 from the floor with eight turnovers as Drexel cranked up the defensive pressure. The Dragons also turned that defense into offense with 15 fast break points.

Q4:
Having gained control of the game, the Dragons showed no interest in letting go. Back-to-back buckets from Mariah Leonard and Washington to open the quarter extended the Dragons' lead to 10. After the Blue Hens briefly trimmed the deficit to six with just over six minutes to play, Washington went on a solo 6-0 run that put the game virtually out of reach. Again, the defense suffocated Delaware throughout, forcing another five turnovers and a 4-for-17 shooting performance. Nihill had the honors of scoring the final points, knocking down a pair from the line with two seconds remaining.

BY THE NUMBERS
- Drexel becomes the third No. 3 seed to capture a CAA title, joining 1992 Old Dominion and 2018 Elon.
- The Dragons' win over Delaware was their first over a top-seeded team in the tournament since joining the CAA in 2001-02.
- The Dragons were 26-for-51 from the field on Saturday night, good for a .510 clip.
- Drexel overcame a nine-point halftime deficit after falling behind by as many as 12 in the semifinal win over James Madison on Friday night.
- All three of Drexel's wins in this tournament came against teams that had previously defeated the Dragons in CAA championship games (Elon, 2018; James Madison, 2016; Delaware, 2012 and 2013).
- Saturday's game was the 100th career appearance for senior Kayla Bacon.

NEXT UP
The Dragons will eagerly await Selection Monday, March 15, when the bracket for the 2021 NCAA Tournament will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The entire tournament will be held in San Antonio, Texas.