Dragons Defeat Delaware to Advance to CAA Quarterfinals, 57-55

Thursday, March 14

Washington, D.C.

5 p.m.

Drexel University

16-14,10-8CAA

Delaware

11-20,7-11CAA

Delaware

Drexel

Dragons Defeat Delaware to Advance to CAA Quarterfinals, 57-55

3/14/2024 9:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amaris Baker scored six points in the final 1:12 in regulation to lift Drexel past the Delaware Blue Hens in the Second Round of the CAA Championships. Drexel finished the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run over the final two and a half minutes of play.

BY THE NUMBERS
Baker finished the eighth game in a row with a double-digit scoring performance after cashing in on 19 points. The junior paced the Dragons, shooting 8-for-16 from the field.

The Dragons have accrued a 3-0 record against the Delaware Blue Hens in the 2024 season. The last time the Dragons took three games from one opponent was in the 2021-22 season against Hofstra. The last time Drexel went 3-0 against the Blue Hens was in 2017-2018.

Drexel will make its 16th straight appearance in the CAA Quarterfinals on Friday night. The last time the team did not play in a quarterfinal game was in 2008.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Delaware opened the game, shooting 6-for-11 in the first quarter and sinking 2-of-5 from deep. Sydney Boone chipped in the most for the Blue Hens, scoring six points on 2-for-2 shooting. For Drexel, the Dragons were led by Hodges, who scored five.

The Dragons and Blue Hens split the second quarter, scoring 16 points a piece. Baker scored eight points on 4-for-7 shooting and helped the Dragons shoot 41 percent from the field. The Dragons went on an eight-point run early in the second quarter to force Delaware to call an early timeout.

Drexel tallied 16 points in the third quarter and held the Blue Hens to just 11. The Dragons pieced together four separate runs of at least four points and took the lead with 4:10 left in the third quarter. Brooke Mullin found the bottom of the bucket from the elbow to give Drexel a 39-38 lead. It was the first lead since conceding it with five seconds remaining in the first quarter. At the end of the third, Drexel owned a two-point lead.

Most of the fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair that saw three ties and two lead changes. Delaware took its lead back with 9:05 left in the fourth. But two minutes later, Drexel evened the score at 48. Between 6:06 and 3:36, Delaware took back the lead and extended it to eight. With about 2:30 left in regulation, it turned into the Saatman and Baker show. Saatman converted a free throw and a layup a play later to pull Drexel within two. 47 seconds later, Amaris Baker tied the game with a drive to the basket. A few trips down the floor later, Baker found a wide-open look from mid-range to give Drexel the lead. A lead that DU would keep with 18 seconds remaining.

UP NEXT
Drexel returns to the Entertainment and Sports Arena for the quarterfinals of the 2024 CAA Championships presented by Primis. The Dragons are set to face the second-seeded Monmouth Hawks at 5 p.m.