Dickey Leads Delaware to Program’s Third CAA Championship with 63-59 Win Over Drexel
Hunter Peters
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Mar. 13, 2022) – Jasmine Dickey recorded her third double-double of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Primis, leading second-seeded Delaware to the program’s third CAA title with a 63-59 victory over top-seeded Drexel.
Delaware improves to 24-7 with the win and will receive the conference’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament. Drexel falls to 26-5 after the setback and will await a postseason berth.
Dickey tallied 27 points and tied a career-high with 18 rebounds en route to Most Outstanding Performer honors. The CAA Player of the Year averaged 26.0 points and 14.7 rebounds throughout the tournament, willing Delaware to its first conference title since 2013.
Holding a narrow 35-31 halftime advantage, the Blue Hens stormed out of the locker room in the third quarter. Delaware opened the period on a 10-0 run to push its lead to 45-31 midway through the quarter. Dickey started the quarter with a three and capped the run with a pair of free throws. Keishana Washington provided a much-needed three for the Dragons, but Delaware responded with six straight points, extending its lead to 51-34 at the 1:11 mark. The Blue Hens went on to take a 52-38 lead into the fourth.
Drexel made a furious comeback attempt in the fourth, but Delaware was able to withstand the final push to emerge victoriously. Facing a 58-42 deficit, Drexel went on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the 8:42 mark in the third. Dickey hit a jumper to make the score 62-51 before an 8-0 Drexel run cut the deficit to three with 37 seconds remaining. Drexel forced a turnover, and Delaware fouled, sending the Dragons to the free throw line with four seconds on the clock. However, they came up short on both attempts, and Jewel Smalls iced the game with a final free throw.
Delaware got off to.a fast start in the first quarter with a high, level of intensity. The Blue Hens hit seven of their first eight field goals, taking a 16-4 lead at the 4:59 mark. Drexel responded with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to four with 2:13 remaining in the period. UD’s Paris Mc Bride and Drexel’s Maura Hendrixson traded threes to end the quarter, with Delaware taking a 19-15 advantage after one.
The second quarter was evenly matched as both teams scored 16 points in the period, and Delaware took a 35-31 lead into the break. The teams traded baskets to the under-five media timeout, with the Blue Hens increasing their lead by one, 26-21. After a pair of Drexel free throws, Dickey scored a second-chance basket, and Smalls splashed home a three, pushing the Delaware lead to 31-23 with 2:05 remaining in the quarter. Washington had the answer with a three-ball on the ensuing possession to bring Drexel within five. Dickey knocked down a pair of free throws before Hannah Nihill converted a three to make the score 33-29 with 48 seconds remaining, and the teams traded scores in the final 15 seconds.
Delaware, which leads the CAA in rebounding margin, maintained a 47-34 advantage on the glass. Ty Battle was Delaware’s second-leading rebounder, grabbing 12 boards and adding eight points as she joined Dickey on the CAA All-Tournament Team.
Washington paced Drexel with 22 points, and Tessa Brugler added 17 points and eight rebounds as the Drexel duo earned CAA All-Tournament Team honors.
CAA All-Tournament Team
Jasmine Dickey, Delaware (MOP)
Ty Battle, Delaware
Tessa Brugler, Drexel
Keishana Washington, Drexel
Jenna Annecchiarico, Charleston
Kylie Kornegay-Lucas, Towson
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