Baker Lifts No. 7 Drexel Over No. 10 Delaware 57-55 in Second Round of CAA Championship
Hunter Peters
CHAMP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | DREXEL PRESSER | DELAWARE PRESSER
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 14, 2024) –
Amaris Baker scored a game-high 19 points, including Drexel’s final six, as the No. 7 Dragons edged No. 10 Delaware 57-55 in the second round of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Primis on Thursday evening at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
Drexel improves to 16-14 and advances to the quarterfinals for the 19th consecutive season, where the Dragons will face No. 2 Monmouth at 5 p.m. Delaware concludes its year 11-20 after the setback.
Baker went 8-for-16 from the floor, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter, and added a team-best nine rebounds. It marks her seventh straight game in double figures and 17th this season.
Delaware had three players in double figures, led by Rebecca Demeke with 11 points. Ande’a Cherisier and Sydney Boone added 10 points each, while Chloe Wilson and Darriona Howard grabbed 11 boards apiece.
Drexel ended the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run after being held scoreless for a 5:12 stretch before the final push. The Dragons tied the game at 48 before the drought, and Delaware scored the following five points, taking a 53-48 lead at the 3:36 mark. Hetta Saatman stopped the bleeding with a free throw at the 2:29 mark before converting a layup to pull the Dragons within two. Baker took over from there, scoring six straight points to end the game, including the go-ahead jumper from the top of the key with 18 seconds remaining.
A three-point play by Boone with five seconds remaining in the opening stanza gave Delaware a 15-12 edge after one. The Blue Hens connected on five of their final six shots in the frame and held Drexel without a made bucket over the final 2:39 after the Dragons maintained the lead for 6:27 in the quarter.
The Blue Hens scored five straight points to start the second, gaining a 20-12 lead; however, Drexel responded with an 8-0 spurt and Jasmine Valentine scored a fastbreak layup to tie the game. The next six points went to Delaware, regaining its advantage before the Dragons cut the deficit to one at 26-25. Delaware maintained the lead, and a pair of Boone free throws sent the Blue Hens into the locker room with a 31-28 advantage.
The Dragons battled back to take a 44-42 lead into the fourth. After a Demeke three gave Delaware a 35-28 lead, Drexel rallied off an 11-3 run, and Brooke Mullin put the Dragons in front, 39-38, at the 4:10 mark – their first lead since the final minute in the opening quarter. Erin Sweeney ensured the Drexel advantage at the end of the frame, knocking down a trey with 51 seconds remaining.
Despite losing the rebounding margin 42-32, Drexel forced Delaware into 22 miscues and scored 20 points off Blue Hens’ turnovers.
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