PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1/11/2015 – There are games that are won by making adjustments during play. The Drexel Dragons women’s basketball team made the right moves on defense and offense to earn a 58 – 53 win over the Seahawks of UNCW in a CAA game at the DAC.
The Seahawks held a 28 – 24 lead at halftime. The Dragons made a change on defense trying to give a different look. It worked. Drexel held UNCW 8 of 26 shooting ((30.8%) in the second half. Early in the stanza the Seahawks were held scoreless for nearly four minutes. UNCW went 0 – 7 from the field until getting a basket at the 10:16 mark, and only four more over the next nine minutes of action.
“We gave ourselves a chance because our defense, but they (UNCW) made the adjustment against our zone, so we went man,” said Drexel Coach Denise Dillon. “That put the brakes on, and forced them to decide what type of offense they were going to run. That was the turning point, simply changing things up.”
Drexel created turnovers forcing 21 by UNCW. The result was limited chances at the basket and a 16 – 9 edge for the Dragons in points off turnovers.
“If our defense creates some offense, that helps,” Dillon said.
On offense Drexel was not making their three-point shots. For the game the Dragons made 3 of 15 form beyond the arc. The adjustment was to get the ball inside. Drexel had a 30 – 16 edge in points in the paint. The beneficiaries were sophomore forward Sarah Curran scored a game-high 16 points going 7 for 12 from the floor. Senior forward Jamila Thompson registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. It was a career-high in both categories for Thompson.
“You look at Curran, Thompson and Schluth, their ability to score around the basket is solid,” said Dillon about her inside players. “We have got to get the mentality of inside-out instead of the opposite. We are all about adjustments.”
UNCW had two players score in double figures, Shatia Cole with 14 and Jasmine Steele with 10 points.
Drexel improves to 9 – 6 on the season and is 3 – 1 in the CAA. The Dragons return to action on Thursday, January 15 at William & Mary, then continue the road trip on Sunday at James Madison. The three game trip concludes on January 22 at Hofstra. The schedule has Drexel facing the current league leaders in the Dukes and the Pride. Those games will have impact on the league standings.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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