Towson ends Drexel's season
Shawn Gauby
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports
It has been a fantastic season for the women's basketball team, and it would have been a crowning achievement to end the Monarchs' 16-year CAA Tournament winning streak in the second round.
Unfortunately, the Dragons could not make it out of the first round, falling to Towson 62-53 at the Bob Carpenter Center Mar. 14.
The fourth-seeded Dragons (18-12, 13-5 CAA) led throughout much of the game. They had a game-high 13-point lead with 14 minutes to go, thanks to excellent three-point shooting by Narissa Suber. However, Towson (22-9, 12-6) turned on the pressure and forced the Dragons out of their rhythm.
"Things were going well for the Dragons, and then there was that press of theirs," Drexel coach Denise Dillon said. "That's what they did up at our place a few games ago, the same thing. We were up 15 at the half, and they started pressing in the second half. As soon as you could blink, we were down, but we did enough in that game down the stretch that gave us a chance to win. Unfortunately today, we did not make the shots that we needed to."
The Tigers blitzed past the Dragons with a 17-3 run over a five-minute stretch. In a proverbial blink, Drexel was behind, and was never able to recover.
"Towson just got the momentum in their favor in the second half," Dillon said. "We were a little frazzled today. I think our freshman Jasmina Rosseel wasn't hitting shots, and it was affecting her overall game."
Rosseel had arguably the worst game of her short Dragon career, scoring three points on 1-13 shooting to go along with her five turnovers.
She was not the only Dragon affected by the Tigers' aggressive play; the team committed 15 of their 21 turnovers in the second half. Towson was easily able to make up their nine-point halftime deficit by outscoring Drexel 18-4 in points off of turnovers.
"If you allow them to run their half-court game, they're absolutely fantastic," Towson coach Joe Matthews said. "They can shoot the ball better than anybody in the league. If we can get full-court pressure and create turnovers then we can dictate our game plan."
In her final game as a Dragon, Narissa Suber led all scorers with 18 points by going 4-7 from beyond the arc.
Gabriela Marginean contributed another double-double with 13 points and 13 boards, but only two of her points came in the second half.
Jamell Beasley and Holly Mahan led the Tigers in scoring with 17 and 15 points respectively. Both players were key down the stretch as each scored 12 points in the second half.
With the victory, Towson won their first ever CAA quarterfinal game and sent the Dragons to their third straight defeat in the quarters.
Unfortunately, the Dragons could not make it out of the first round, falling to Towson 62-53 at the Bob Carpenter Center Mar. 14.
The fourth-seeded Dragons (18-12, 13-5 CAA) led throughout much of the game. They had a game-high 13-point lead with 14 minutes to go, thanks to excellent three-point shooting by Narissa Suber. However, Towson (22-9, 12-6) turned on the pressure and forced the Dragons out of their rhythm.
"Things were going well for the Dragons, and then there was that press of theirs," Drexel coach Denise Dillon said. "That's what they did up at our place a few games ago, the same thing. We were up 15 at the half, and they started pressing in the second half. As soon as you could blink, we were down, but we did enough in that game down the stretch that gave us a chance to win. Unfortunately today, we did not make the shots that we needed to."
The Tigers blitzed past the Dragons with a 17-3 run over a five-minute stretch. In a proverbial blink, Drexel was behind, and was never able to recover.
"Towson just got the momentum in their favor in the second half," Dillon said. "We were a little frazzled today. I think our freshman Jasmina Rosseel wasn't hitting shots, and it was affecting her overall game."
Rosseel had arguably the worst game of her short Dragon career, scoring three points on 1-13 shooting to go along with her five turnovers.
She was not the only Dragon affected by the Tigers' aggressive play; the team committed 15 of their 21 turnovers in the second half. Towson was easily able to make up their nine-point halftime deficit by outscoring Drexel 18-4 in points off of turnovers.
"If you allow them to run their half-court game, they're absolutely fantastic," Towson coach Joe Matthews said. "They can shoot the ball better than anybody in the league. If we can get full-court pressure and create turnovers then we can dictate our game plan."
In her final game as a Dragon, Narissa Suber led all scorers with 18 points by going 4-7 from beyond the arc.
Gabriela Marginean contributed another double-double with 13 points and 13 boards, but only two of her points came in the second half.
Jamell Beasley and Holly Mahan led the Tigers in scoring with 17 and 15 points respectively. Both players were key down the stretch as each scored 12 points in the second half.
With the victory, Towson won their first ever CAA quarterfinal game and sent the Dragons to their third straight defeat in the quarters.
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