Nihill Shoots Dragons Past JMU in Thriller

Wednesday, February 16

Philadelphia, Pa.

5:00 PM

Drexel University

20-3,12-1CAA

James Madison

11-12,7-5CAA

James Madison

Drexel

2/16/2022 6:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Hannah Nihill tied a career-high with five three-pointers as the Drexel University women's basketball team defeated James Madison 64-61 on Wednesday night.

HISTORICAL NOTES

The win was Drexel's 20th of the year, the fifth consecutive full season the Dragons have won 20 or more games.
Nihill played in her 142nd career game, tying Meghan Creighton for the most appearances in Drexel women's basketball history.

BY THE NUMBERS

Nihill led all scorers with 18 points, adding three assists and three rebounds. She also contributed on the defensive end with four steals, her fifth consecutive game with three or more swipes.
Keishana Washington tallied 17 in the contest and had six assists.
Tessa Brugler kept the Dragons in the game early on, ending up with 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Off the bench, Maura Hendrixson led Drexel with seven assists.
As a team, Drexel posted 23 assists. It is the third time this season DU recorded 23 helpers in a game, the highest total for a CAA team against a Division I opponent in 2021-22.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Unlike the first three quarters, Drexel came out of the gates hot to start the fourth, connecting on its first three shots of the period and taking its first lead since the first quarter while forcing a JMU timeout.
Neither team backed down as there were five lead changes in the last 8:44. The final flip came with exactly one minute remaining as Washington made her only three of the night, pushing Drexel up 63-61.
Both teams scored early and often with each squad hitting on 7-of-15 shots in the first quarter. The only difference in the frame was JMU making the only free throws in the frame as the Dukes led 18-16 after 10 minutes. Brugler was big for the Dragons in the period, scoring eight, all on the mid-range jumper.
Defense prevailed to open the second as neither team scored until the 7:05 mark. James Madison was the first to break the ice and opened a 31-20 lead with 2:16 remaining before Drexel battled back, scoring the final eight points in the quarter, pulling back to 31-28 at the break.
The third quarter started the same as the first two with JMU getting the early jump, using an 8-0 run in just more than two minutes to lead 39-28. Drexel closed as the period went on with the help of a trio of treys from Nihill in the frame, cutting the advantage to 48-47 with 40 seconds left on a pair of Washington free throws. The Dukes finished with the closing four points of the frame to take a five-point lead into the final period.

QUOTABLE
"This win tonight, it was our 20th of the season, which seems like its flown by in some ways, but its just indicative of the types of games we've had all season. The way we played and adjusted – we didn't start on the fastest note, but in the second half, turned it up and showed what this team is capable of on both ends of the floor." –Head Coach Amy Mallon on the win against James Madison.

"Every year it's always a rivalry game, always a tough one with them. It's great preparation for the rest of the season. We try to play every game in preparation for the next." –Hannah Nihill on the rivalry with the Dukes.

UP NEXT
Drexel returns to action on Sunday, February 20 when it travels to Newark, Del. to face off against archrival Delaware. Tipoff from the Carpenter Center is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.