PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1/29/2016 – A short jumper by forward Sarah Curran with 38 seconds to play gave the Drexel Dragons a 65 – 64 lead. Curran would would add a steal that allowed the Dragons to come away with a 67 – 64 win at the DAC over the Hofstra Pride who came into the game sitting atop of the CAA standings. Drexel has won four games in a row to put them into the mix at the top of the standings.
“This was big,” said Drexel Coach Denise Dillon. “We finally turned a corner. I was hoping that after the wins we would continue to execute on the offensive end of the floor and do what we needed to do defensively. We controlled the tempo in the second half which was crucial.”
Both teams were playing well on offense in the game. Drexel began to assert themselves on defense in the third quarter. A 10 – 0 run where the Pride missed eight straight shots allowed the Dragons to take 50 – 44 lead with 2:17 on the clock. Hofstra fought back to get to within 52 – 49 at the end of three quarters.
“It was a game of adjustments,” Drexel guard Meghan Creighton said. “We showed zone and they shot 6 for 8 from the three-point line. They stayed hot, but we adjusted and went man to man and got the stops when we needed to.”
The final stanza was a battle that saw the score tied on three different occasions, the last at 62 with 3 minutes on the clock. Hofstra guard Darius Faulk converted a layup with just under two minutes to play giving the Pride a 64 – 63 lead they would hold until Curran got the ball in the low post and sank a jumper to provide the winning points.
“At the end of the game you want to get the ball as close to the basket as you can,” said Creighton.
Hofstra turned the ball over on the next trip as Curran would come up with a crucial steal.
“She just grinded it out,” Dillon said about Curran’s performance. “She had to see what they were giving her. It took more time than usual for her to realize what was the open shot and the mismatch for the post up.”
Drexel converted only two of four free throws down the stretch which gave Hofstra a chance. The Pride missed on two three-point opportunities and the Dragons held on for the win.
Creighton scored a game-high 16 points, one point shy of her season-high, and dished out 8 assists. Curran ended the game with 13 points. Jackie Schluth also scored 13 and pulled down a team 8 rebounds.
Anjie White led four Pride players who scored in double figures with 16 points and had a game-high 9 rebounds. Kelly Loftus put in 12 points while Ashunae Durant and Asia Jackson scored 10.
Drexel (10 – 9, 6 – 2) face Delaware at the DAC on Sunday who also are in the top four in the standings. Hofstra is also 6 – 2 in the CAA.
“It was a good team win,” Creighton said.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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