Seventh-Seeded Hawks Halt Second-Seeded Dragons 65-59 in CAA Championship Quarterfinals
Hunter Peters
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TOWSON, Md. (March 10, 2023) – Seventh-seeded Monmouth used the same formula from its second-round victory to halt second-seeded Drexel 65-59 in the quarterfinals of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Primis Friday evening at SECU Arena.
The Hawks shot 50.0 percent from three-point range, knocking down seven trifectas while holding Drexel to 2-of-12 from behind the arc. Monmouth also gained the advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Dragons 34-25 in the ball game.
Monmouth (16-15), which has won its first two games in its CAA tournament debut, advances to face the winner of No. 3 Northeastern and No. 6 Stony Brook in the semifinals tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. Drexel finishes the year 21-9 after claiming at least a share of the CAA regular season title for the fourth time in the past six years.
It was a balanced attack for Monmouth as eight players scored, and three reached double figures. Bri Tinsley paced the Hawks with 14 points. Lovin Marsicano added 13 points, a career-high five steals and four rebounds. Jania Hall provided a boost off the bench, adding 11 points to round out the Hawks' double-figure scorers.
Keishana Washington showed why she was the player of the year in the conference, leaving it all out on the court with a game-high 32 points. Kylie Lavelle added 16 points for the Dragons, all of which came in the second half.
It was a slow-paced first quarter as Washington scored 10 of Drexel’s 12 points to give the Dragons a one-point lead. Kaci Donovan converted a four-point play with nine seconds remaining in the first to pull Monmouth within one after Drexel opened a 12-5 lead at the 2:54 mark.
Trailing 17-16 with 6:19 remaining in the second, Monmouth rattled off a 10-0 run to take control. Jen Louro opened the run with a three-pointer, and Donovan capped it with her second trifecta to give the Hawks a 26-17 advantage. Drexel cut the deficit to four following a second-chance layup from Chole Hodges, but Monmouth responded with a bucket and took a 29-24 lead into the break.
Lavelle came alive in the third quarter, going 3-for-3 from the floor with nine points, including a personal 7-0 run to give Drexel a 36-35 lead at the 6:05 mark. However, a scoring drought ensued over the next 2:44, and Monmouth pushed its lead back to five with a 6-0 run of its own before the Hawks claimed a 48-43 lead at the end of the quarter.
Monmouth never relinquished the lead in the fourth, countering every Drexel blow. The teams traded three-pointers to open the period, but Drexel climbed with two (55-53) at the 3:54 mark after Lavelle converted a three-point play and Washington knocked down a jumper. Hall knocked down two free throws for the Hawks before another Washington bucket. Lavelle pulled the Dragons within one, grabbing her own miss twice before making it 58-57 with 47 seconds remaining. It was as close as Drexel would get as Tinsley and Marsicano combined to go 5-of-6 from the free throw line to secure the victory for Monmouth.
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