The Triangle

Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Aaron Walizer

Drexel women's basketball coach Denise Dillon was visibly frustrated on the bench.
Her team was giving minimum effort and trailed Towson by nine midway through the first half as the Tigers' full-court pressure was giving Drexel fits.
Dillon called timeout and attempted to get her players back in the game.
"You came out here with a lack of intensity and sense of urgency," Dillon told her team. "You've got to get your heads back into the game."
The Dragons promptly got their heads back in the game - and came away with their 13th straight win to close out the 2008-09 Colonial Athletic Association regular season.
Drexel closed the first half on a 20-7 run to go up four at the intermission and eventually pulled away in the second half as it defeated Towson 59-45 March 4 at the Towson Center in Towson, Md.
With the victory the Dragons (21-8, 16-2 CAA) clinched sole possession of the CAA regular season title. No. 1 Drexel, which earned a bye in the first round of the CAA Tournament, will take on the winner of a game between the No. 8 Tigers and No. 9 Delaware March 13 at noon in Harrisonburg, Va.
"We'll celebrate for a few days and then get back to business Saturday," Dillon said. "I'm giving the girls a couple of days rest."
Gabriela Marginean had a game-high 23 points to lead the Dragons, who were tested by Towson from the outset.
The Tigers (16-12, 8-10) hounded Drexel in the backcourt, forcing the Dragons into turnovers and getting easy baskets as a result.
It wasn't until her team got down 18-9 at the 8:05 mark that Dillon laid into her team and Drexel responded.
Jasmina Rosseel (seven points) and Kamile Nacickatie (10 points) knocked down back-to-back threes to force Towson out of its press and start the comeback.
The Tigers led 25-22 with 4:36 remaining but the Dragons finished the first half by scoring seven consecutive points, the last two on a jumper by Andrea Peterson, who finished with nine points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
"The turnovers were an absolutely joke," Dillon said. "I just couldn't deal with that.
"Thankfully [my team] stepped up; they responded. They made good passes, knocked down a couple threes and then turned the tide."
Drexel started the second half just as it ended the first, extending to a 43-30 advantage after Marginean converted a 3-point play at the 9:48 mark that capped a 14-5 spurt. The Dragons never looked back as Dillon was able to rest her starters for essentially the rest of the game.
It was a very physical battle from two teams that might have to play each other a third time in the postseason.
There were 47 total foul calls and the teams combined to shoot 56 free throws. Drexel was 22-of-30 from the free throw line, while Towson was 17-of-26.
The Dragons shot only 32 percent for the game and turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 22 times, but benefited from the fact that the Tigers missed all 15 of their 3-point field goal attempts.
Towson made only 14 field goals all game long and shot 27.5 percent, a testament to Drexel's adapting defense. The Dragons not only played man-to-man, but also shifted frequently to a match-up zone.

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