Women's Basketball Downed in OT By Hofstra, 53-52

Friday, January 9

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00 p.m.

Drexel University

8-6, 2-1

Hofstra

10-4, 3-0

OT 1

HOFSTRA

DREXEL

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Downed in OT By Hofstra, 53-52

1/9/2015 9:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The Drexel women's basketball team was defeated for the first time this season at home, and the first time this season in Colonial Athletic Association play as visiting Hofstra squeaked out a 53-52 victory over the Dragons in overtime on Friday night. Drexel had the ball with a chance to win at the end of regulation and again with the shot clock off at the end of overtime, but could not convert either time.

Sarah Curran scored 17 points for a second-straight outing to lead three players reaching double figures for the Dragons. Alexis Smith had 11, including a big three-pointer late in regulation that broke a tie. Jackie Schluth finished with 10 to go along with five rebounds and a career-high three blocks. Jamila Thompson added eight points, three assists and five rebounds.

Drexel (8-6, 2-1) trailed for the entire first half after a cold shooting start before taking the lead early in the second. The teams seesawed back and forth all night, with Hofstra leading by no more than six and Drexel leading by no more than three.

The Dragons, who had not trailed at any point in their first two league games, came out cold from the floor on Friday night. Drexel missed its first seven shots and 11 of its first 12, but still managed to hang tough thanks to their defense which forced eight Hofstra turnovers in the first half. Towards the end of the period, the Dragons started to see some shots fall, and actually finished the first period with a higher shooting percentage (9-of-30, 30.0 percent) than the Pride (7-of-26, 26.9 percent). However, Hofstra was able to get itself to the free throw line with a degree of regularity in the first half, going 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. Drexel did not take a free throw, a disparity which allowed the Pride to go into the locker rooms with a 22-18 edge.

Jamila Thompson came out of halftime asserting herself, scoring the first three field goals of the frame for Drexel and finally drawing them even at 24. Then, the free throw disparity began to change. Though the Dragons never did really get going from the floor, shooting just 31.3 percent on the night, Drexel did push itself inside to draw fouls and got to the free throw line often in the second half. The Dragons, who came into the game ranked ninth in the nation shooting .769 from the line, improved on that with a 10-for-11 showing after halftime.

Still, Hofstra proved troublesome, thanks in large part to the Pride's dominance on the glass. Hofstra pulled down 19 offensive rebounds and 51 boards overall, outdoing the Dragons 16-8 in second-chance points. Drexel did pull down 40 boards of their own, including a career-best seven from Carrie Alexander. Nonetheless, the Pride created enough opportunities for themselves that, despite a dreadful shooting night of their own, they hung with Drexel when the Dragons took the lead.

After the two teams were tied at 35, Hofstra finally hit some long shots, with Kelly Loftus knocking down consecutive three-pointers to match the Pride's largest lead of the night. Drexel fought back, again getting itself to the free throw line. With 5:59 to play, Smith made it a four-point game, hitting her only free throws of the night. Sarah Curran, who finished 4-for-4 from the line, followed suit 1:02 later. She knotted things up with 4:20 to play on a turnaround jumper in the paint, and then gave the Dragons the lead with 3:25 remaining when she hit her other two free throws.

The Pride answered after Drexel went ahead, but Smith drained her lone three-pointer of the night with 2:54 remaining to give Drexel its biggest lead of the night. Hofstra and the Dragons traded buckets, and then with 35 seconds to play, Loftus hit what was likely the biggest shot of the night, a three-pointer from the right wing with the shot clock expiring after Hofstra had air-balled its first shot of the possession and gotten the offensive board.

Drexel had a chance to take the lead at the end of regulation, but Curran missed a heavily-contested shot down low with 3.1 remaining. Initially, the officials ruled a shot clock violation, but replay confirmed that the ball had hit the rim and gone out of bounds off Hofstra. Drexel got one last look, but it too fell short as the game went to overtime.

As the second half had been, overtime was a back-and-forth, low-scoring affair. Hofstra got the first lead 1:18 into the period when Elo Edeferioka hit one of two from the line. Smith put Drexel on top, and after the Pride answered, it was Schluth driving and scoring to give Drexel a 52-51 edge with 1:25 remaining.

The Dragons forced a turnover on the next Pride possession, but after running the shot clock down low, Drexel turned it over itself, and Hofstra was able to break out for a fast-break lay-up with 22 seconds to play. The Dragons used their remaining timeouts to try to free themselves for a game-winner, but they lost control of the ball in the paint with seconds remaining, and Hofstra was able to dribble out the clock.

The Dragons will have to put the disappointment of Friday night behind them quickly, as they host UNCW back at the DAC on Sunday afternoon. That game will take place at 2:00 p.m.