Dragons to Play Inaugural Big 5 Game Against La Salle on Wednesday at DAC

PHILADELPHIA - The Drexel women's basketball team is set to play its inaugural Big 5 game on Wednesday night against La Salle at 6 p.m. in the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The game will be streamed on both NBC Sports Philadelphia+ and FloCollege.

LAST TIME OUT
Drexel scored the first seven points of the game and never trailed as the Dragons defeated Marist, 64-53, in the season opener at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Amaris Baker led the way for the Dragons with 21 points. Prior to the game, the 2024 team was presented with their CAA Championship rings. The ceremony included family members, Drexel women's basketball alumnae, administration and friends of the program.

Amaris Baker had 17 of her game-high 21 points in first half. She was 8-for-19 from the floor and made a pair of 3-pointers.

Laine McGurk was also in double figures with 10 points, seven of those coming in the second half.

Deja Evans had a career-high with four steals, three of them in the opening frame. Molly Lavin led the Dragons with six rebounds.

The Dragons shot better than 53 percent from behind the arc (8-15) and had five different players drain at least one 3-pointer. McGurk and Cara McCormack were each 2-for-2 from behind the 3-point stripe.

Overall, the Dragons shot 50 percent from the field. Drexel's defense forced 21 Marist turnovers in the game.

Lexie Tarul led Marist in scoring with 17 points.

SCOUTING REPORT
La Salle enters play on Wednesday with a 1-1 record. The Explorers opened the season with a 65-51 loss to Maine but managed to bounce back and defeat the Delaware Blue Hens, 68-54 on November 9.

When the Explorers take the court on Wednesday night, the Dragons will see an essentially different team than what they saw a year ago in the DAC. The Explorers added three players who have made a difference so far this season. Ashleigh Connor has chipped in 14.5 points in the first two contests on 33 minutes per game. Joan Quinn is the other Explorer who can be dangerous, averaging 10.5 points.

Unlike the game against Marist to begin the season, La Salle will take advantage of all parts of the court. The Explorers are shooting 31% from deep and 38% overall.

The Explorers are coached by Mountain MacGillivray, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the program.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Drexel and La Salle meet for the 42nd time on Wednesday night. Drexel won the last matchup at the DAC in the 2023-24 season. The last time La Salle was victorious inside the DAC was on December 5, 2009. The Explorers won that meeting, 68-57.

LAST TIME AGAINST LA SALLE
Standout performances by Laine McGurk and Amaris Baker carried the Drexel women's basketball team to a victory against La Salle, 71-46, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on November 15, 2023.

McGurk and Baker combined had 39 points and 13 rebounds, setting career-highs in the scoring column. McGurk finished the game with 20 points, the highest single-game total of any Dragon this season. The freshman went 9-for-12 from the field and 2-for-4 from long distance. For Baker, she went 8-for-14 from the field and hit a pair of 3-pointers.

Drexel held La Salle to just .328 from the floor and just .100 from long distance. The Dragons held the Explorers to single digits to close the first half at eight.

There was only one lead change throughout the game, which came in the third minute. A layup by Chloe Hodges pushed Drexel past La Salle, 6-5, and the Explorers never caught back up. Drexel had the lead for over 37 minutes.

LOOKING AHEAD
Drexel closes its homestretch on November 20 against UC Irvine. Tipoff from the Daskalakis Athletic Center is set for 6 p.m.

Dragons Calendar.

Dragons to Play Inaugural Big 5 Game Against La Salle on Wednesday at DAC

Players Mentioned

Amaris Baker

Deja Evans

Chloe Hodges

Molly Lavin

Cara McCormack

Laine McGurk

Drexel University Athletics