Metzel Leads Drexel Into Fourth Straight CAA Semifinal
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NEWARK, Del. (March 14, 2019) – Niki Metzel scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to propel No. 2 Drexel past No. 7 William & Mary in the quarterfinals of the 2019 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
Drexel (23-7) advances to its fourth consecutive CAA semifinal and will be looking to return to its second consecutive championship game when the Dragons face either No. 3 UNCW or No. 6 Northeastern. William & Mary closes its season with a 15-16 record.
Metzel’s 20 points were just one shy of tying her career-high. CAA Player of the Year Bailey Greenberg tallied 11 points and shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor. She nearly recorded her fifth double-double of the season as she finished the game with nine rebounds.
William & Mary’s Bianca Boggs scored a game-high 18 points for the Tribe and set the William & Mary single-season record with 530 points.
Back-to-back layups by Eline Maeeschalck in the second quarter capped a 12-0 run for the Dragons that gave it 14-point lead-its largest of the half. Greenberg hit a layup as time was expiring to put Drexel ahead 43-30 at the break. Drexel backed up the interior effort by hitting 6-of-8 3-point attempts.
Drexel came out of the half on a 7-0 run to push its lead to 20 and the Dragons eventually led by as many as 21 by the end of the third quarter. The Tribe’s Victoria Reynolds scored five consecutive points to pull William & Mary within 16 going into the final frame, but William & Mary could come no closer than the game’s final margin.