The Dragons Remain Unbeaten in Conference, Winning Streak Reaches Eight Games
January 18, 2022 –
The Drexel Dragons and the Towson Tigers met at the DAC in a battle of unbeaten teams in the CAA standings. And battle was the defining word in this game. It took a layup for Dragons forward Tessa Brugler with 42 seconds remaining to break a tie, and propelled Drexel to a 58 – 54 win, their tenth in a row,
Key to the win for the Dragons was graduate forward Mariah Leonard who recorded a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. And committed no fouls. Leonard made 4 of 5 from the floor and sank 5 of 6 free throws. Off the boards she took down 5 offensive caroms.
“If you are there you witnessed what fight this team has starting with Mariah Leonard out there on the floor doing whatever it took for us to win the game,” said Drexel Coach Amy Mallon. “Coming up with rebounds, and the little things.”
Most of the game saw Drexel in front, but needed to withstand numerous Towson charges. They were successful. Then with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, Tigers forward Allie Kubek hit a three-pointer from the right corer to tie the game at 54.
On the ensuing possession the Dragons got the ball down low to Brugler who made a spin move to sink a layup at the 42 second mark. The defense held the Tigers without a score down the stretch to get the win.
“Our team is a very experienced team,” said Leonard. “We learned how to maintain composure in tight situations such as this one. We wanted to keep this streak that we have going.”
Towson averages over 77 points per game. the Drexel defense limited them to 54 points and 32.7% shooting. The Tigers had only 12 points in the paint falling victim to the interior defense. A leading Towson scorer Kubek got 13 points, 6 coming from the charity stripe.
“We took away a lot of their options,” Leonard said. “When they got shots we made sure we boxed out and really went after every rebound.”
Leonard was one of four Dragons who scored in double figures. Keishana Washington scored a game-high 17 points, 13 in the first half when Drexel established the lead. Brugler added 11 points, the last two the most important. Hannah Nihill scored 10 points while handing out 3 assists. In the face of relentless Towson pressure, Nihill turned the ball over twice. The team had 9 total miscues against the Tigers team that forces an average of 18.9 per game.
“To hold a team that scores as much as Towson does was one of our goals,” Mallon said. “That set the tone for everything.
One of the players contributing was Maura Hendrixson 9 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals.
Towson guard Tarriyonna Gary recorded a team-high 14 points. Aleah Nelson totaled 12 points.
Drexel improves to 13 – 2 and is 5 – 0 in the league. Towson is at 12 – 3, and 3 – 1 in conference. The Dragons conclude a four-game homestand on Sunday hosting Delaware. The Blue Hens are undefeated in the CAA. Another tough CAA game for a tough Drexel team.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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