Women's Basketball Fends Off Northeastern, 58-50

Sunday, January 28

Daskalakis Athletic Center

2 p.m.

Drexel University

16-5 (8-1CAA)

Northeastern

10-10 (5-4CAA)

NORTHEASTERN

DREXEL

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Women's Basketball Fends Off Northeastern, 58-50

1/28/2018 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – Two days after an emotional comeback victory against Elon, the Drexel women's basketball team had to dig deep on Sunday but got the job done down the stretch, defeating Northeastern on Alumni Day at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, 58-50. Drexel led most of the afternoon but had to overcome a late three-point deficit, closing on a 13-2 run to seal its sixth straight victory.

The Dragons (16-5, 8-1) led by 13 early in the second quarter but saw that lead slowly whittled away until Northeastern used its own 13-2 push early in the fourth to briefly take a 48-45 lead. Megan Marecic answered with a game-tying three-pointer and Aubree Brown followed with a steal and an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Dragons the lead back. Drexel held Northeastern to just two points in the final 6:04 of the game.

Marecic finished with 11 points, matching Kelsi Lidge for the team lead. Lidge went 6-for-8 from the free throw line including 3-of-4 down the stretch to help the Dragons secure the victory. Both players pulled down five boards. Sara Woods, who played 30 minutes despite suffering from flu-like symptoms, netted 10 points with five rebounds of her own. She finished strong, adding a lay-up and two free throws in the final minute.

Hannah Nihill scored six points to go along with a team-high six rebounds, adding three assists. She was one of four Dragons to score six, including Bailey Greenberg, Aubree Brown and Ana Ferariu. Brown dished out a game-best four assists, while Ferariu provided an offensive spark off the bench in the first half and blocked a shot. Eline Maesschalck also scored two points with an assist and two rebounds to round out Drexel's scoring column.

A back-and-forth first quarter ended with Aubree Brown finding herself open for three from the left wing on a broken play, draining it to give Drexel a 15-12 lead after one. The Dragons then came out firing in the second, netting six in a row to build a 21-12 lead on a short jumper by Bailey Greenberg with 7:48 to go before halftime.

After Northeastern responded with a bucket, Ana Ferariu took over for a stretch, sinking a long two before driving to the hole twice for a personal 6-0 run that gave Drexel its largest lead of the first half at 27-14. But Northeastern, the top three-point shooting team in the CAA, had an answer. The Huskies had hit a season-low four threes in the first meeting between these two teams earlier this month, but finally broke out of their slump against Drexel with three treys in the span of 2:17, slicing the Dragons' lead down to 29-23.

The teams were both scoreless for the final 2:23 of the half as Drexel went a full 4:26 without scoring to end the first half, but still maintained their six-point edge heading into the locker room.

The Huskies pulled within two on a pair of occasions in the third quarter, but Drexel rattled off five straight – three from Lidge and two on a highlight-reel acrobatic lay-up by Nihill – to take a seven point lead late in the quarter. Northeastern got a last-second bucket off an offensive rebound to make it a five-point game, 40-35, heading to the fourth.

A three-pointer from Lidge had the Dragons back up eight after the first possession of the fourth, but Northeastern kept at it. Jess Genco, who finished with a game-high 13 points, answered Lidge's trey with one of her own to start what would be a 13-2 Huskies run over the next 3:14. Northeastern took its first lead since the first quarter on a Shannon Todd three-pointer with 6:53 to play, then extended its lead to 48-45 on a Claudia Ortiz jumper 49 seconds later.

Marecic's third three of the afternoon followed, getting Drexel back even. After an exchange of missed jumpers, Genco was bringing the ball up the court when Brown met her just beyond the half court line and poked the ball loose. She got by two Huskies players and beat them to the hoop, drawing a foul as she gave the Dragons the lead once again. Her free throw made it a 51-48 game with 3:40 to go.

Drexel had opportunities to expand its lead, but would not score again until Lidge found Woods wide open underneath for a lay-up with 49 seconds to play. Nevertheless, the Dragons' defense won the day. After the Huskies had rattled off 13 points in short order, the Dragons held them scoreless over a span of 5:19, and allowed them just two points total after taking that 48-45 lead. Lidge and Woods combined to go 5-for-6 from the line in the final 30 seconds to ensure there would be no last-ditch comeback from Northeastern as Drexel finished off the season sweep.

Drexel will have one more home game remaining before it gets back on the road. The Dragons host Towson next Friday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. at the DAC. They will then head to the College of Charleston on Sunday for a 1 p.m. tip off.