Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
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Pittsburgh
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McGurk's Career Night Lifts Drexel Past Pitt, 68-60
11/4/2025 9:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Laine McGurk scored a career-high 33 points in Drexel's season-opening victory against Pitt, 68-60, at the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday night. The victory was Janet E. and Barry C. Burkholder Family Head Women's Basketball Coach Amy Mallon's 100th career victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
Drexel's victory against Pitt on Monday is the first victory against a Power-4 school since the team defeated Penn State on December 18, 2022.
The Dragons shot a blistering 42 percent from the field, including a 9-for-14 clip in the second quarter. The Dragons defense held Pitt to 36 percent from the field.
McGurk set career-highs in multiple categories, including points, minutes played, field goals and treys. The West Chester native shot 13-for-19 across 35 minutes of play and connected on five shots from deep.
Deja Evans completed the sixth double-double of her career, scoring 12 points and corralling 16 rebounds, one short of her career high.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Drexel jumped to an early 9-6 lead, led by a seven-point performance by McGurk in the first five minutes of play. The junior shot 3-for-5 and hit a shot from long range to give Drexel the early advantage. Pitt closed the first quarter on a 10-point run that gave the home team a two-point lead at the end of the first 10 minutes.
Drexel shot 9-for-14 in the second quarter to take a three-point lead into the locker room at halftime. McGurk and Mariah Watkins each scored three field goals to help out the Dragons. Defensively, Drexel held the Panthers to just 5-for-15 shooting.
McGurk came out firing in the third quarter. She went 4-for-5 from the field, including three treys, to help Drexel carry a three-point lead into the under-five media timeout. Pitt finished the third quarter scoring five points and tying the game at the buzzer at 49.
The Dragons outscored the Panthers 13-9 in the first nine minutes of the final quarter. The Drexel defense held the Panthers scoreless for two and a half minutes leading to Drexel calling a timeout with under a minute remaining. With less than a minute remaining, Pitt was forced to foul and send Drexel to the line. Amaris Baker went 1-for-2 from the line to give Drexel a five-point lead with just over 30 seconds to play. A violation against Pitt on an inbound pass turned the ball back to Drexel, which allowed the Dragons to score five-straight points to complete the victory, 68-60.
UP NEXT
Drexel finishes its brief road trip to start the season on Friday, playing Marist in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Action against the Red Foxes is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
