#2 Drexel Outlasts #10 Towson to Advance
Vicki Friedman
BOXSCORE | CAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (March 10, 2016) – Five Drexel players combined for nine three-pointers in leading second-seeded Drexel over No. 10 seed Towson, 71-54, on Thursday in a CAA Women’s Basketball Championship quarterfinal at the Show Place Arena.
The Dragons (18-12) advance to Friday’s 4 p.m. semifinal against the winner of Thursday’s final quarterfinal game between No. 3 Hofstra and No. 6 Northeastern. Drexel has been in the semifinals of the conference tournament four of the last five years. The Tigers (7-23) had upset No. 7 seed William and Mary in Thursday’s first round to break a five-game losing skid.
Two-time All-CAA First Team forward
Sarah Curran led the Dragons with 17 points. Drexel also got 16 points from
Meghan Creighton, recipient of the Dean Ehlers Award. Fourth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, the redshirt junior guard dished out six with just one turnover and finished the evening 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Kelsi Lidge scored 13 off the bench for Drexel.
“I was pleased with the second half,” said Dragons Head Coach
Denise Dillon, who slowed the tempo after the break. “We need to play our style of basketball and make sure everybody’s on the same page.”
Senior
Dominique Johnson’s 17 points with five assists led Towson. Rookies
Brittany Tarr added 13 and
Sianni Martin and
AJ Timbers each scored 11 for the Tigers. Towson played without junior
guard Raven Bankston, the second-leading scorer in the CAA. Bankston suffered a concussion after scoring 18 in Thursday’s victory over the Tribe and was not cleared to play.
After five lead changes and thee ties, Drexel converted five of seven field-goal attempts to pull ahead 47-41 in the third quarter, and the Tigers never threatened again. Drexel shot 63 percent in the second half, outscoring Towson 18-8 in the final quarter.
Towson led 11-9 after one quarter, boosted by two three-pointers from Johnson and one from Timbers. The career leaders in 3-pointers at Towson, Johnson added five more against Drexel to bring her total to 196, including 44 this season.
Both teams were above 50 percent shooting from the field in the first half, but Drexel held a 33-31 edge behind five three pointers. The Dragons committed just three turnovers in the period and seven for the game and assisted on 18 of their 27 field goals.
“I represent the six letters across my chest every night I went out there,” Johnson said. In the beginning when you’re a freshman, you take a lot of things for granted. When you go through your trials and tribulations realize everything happens for a reason.”
Johnson said she hoped she’s made a difference for her teammates, adding, “The future is bright for them.”
The Dragons have won six of their last seven games, the lone loss at Hofstra on Feb. 26, 61-54.
“We’re good players but we’re a great team and that speaks volumes as far as our season’s gone,” Creighton said.