PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1/12/2020 – The Drexel Dragons won their third straight game and four of the last five with a 74 – 54 victory over the Hofstra Pride at the DAC. The Dragons improve to 3 – 1 in the Colonial.
“After last Sunday’s game at Wilmington, coming back from fifteen down and pulling out the win could have been a great turning point for us,” said Drexel Coach Denise Dillon about her team becoming more consistent. “Being here the team is always looking to defend the DAC. You’ve seen different contributors, but we are trying to get that consistent balance.”
The Dragons (10 – 6) won this behind that balanced effort. On offense the the team shared the ball and had a flow. The hosts shot 46.8%, 29 of 62, 7 of 20 from three-point land, and DU assisted 23 times. The team had 5 players score in double figures. Hannah Nihill had a team-high 5 assists and scored 10 points.
“Everybody has a green light,” said Dillon about the distribution on offense. “You have to force the defense to honor each and everyone. But it is understanding who might have the hot hand at that time.”
However, on defense the Dragons disputed the offense of the Pride forcing 25 turnovers. Keishana Washington stole the ball four times for a career-mark. She scored a team-high 14 points and handed out 4 assists.
It has been a formula for Drexel as they force 21.7 turnovers on average going into the game.
“This is the Drexel defense I know and love,” said Nihill. “We were back on our game on defense. Everyone was on the same page.”
The Dragons took control of the game in the second quarter. Leading by six with just over 7 minutes on the clock, Drexel closed out the quarter by scoring 16 of 20 points to lead 41 – 23 at halftime. Mariah Leonard scored 8 points during the run, She had 12 overall making this the fourth straight game that Leonard has scored in double digits.
“Mariah is involved in every practice,” Dillon said about Leonard’s improvement. “Her energy was something she brought to the program early. Her speed and tenacity and to see her settle in, and knowing she is capable of doing a lot on the floor, and getting after it every day. She is putting it on herself.”
Bailey Greenberg bounced back from a 6 point performance two days earlier to score 12 points making 5 of 7 from the floor. Kate Connolly had 11 points and tied her career-high in assists with 4.
Hofstra (3 – 11) has lost five in a row and are still searching for their first league win in three tries. Jaylen Jones posted a game-high 17 points. Marianne Kalin had 12 points and Ana Hernandez Gil added 11 points.
Drexel looks to continue their conference win streak. Next weekend the Dragons have one home game and that is against their CAA rival the Blue Hens of Delaware.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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