Somehow, Dragons get the 'W'
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 1/22/10 Section: Sports
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The Drexel women's basketball team is an epitome of the former.
The Dragons faced seemingly insurmountable odds after star forward Gabriela Marginean fouled out with 1:54 remaining in overtime-her fifth foul resulting in a four-point play for Delaware's star forward Elena Delle Donne that gave the Blue Hens a three-point lead.
Many teams would have immediately folded up when faced with that particular scenario. No one would've blamed them either. It was in effect, the perfect excuse for why the team would lose.
But this Drexel team didn't want any sympathy.
Instead of giving up, the Dragons fought back from a five-point deficit behind role players like Jennifer Stjarnstrom, Jasmina Rosseel, Kamile Nacickaite, Marisa Crane, forced double-overtime and eventually defied logic, defeating Delle Donne and Delaware 70-67 Jan 17 in Newark, Del. in front of 3,137 at the Bob Carpenter Center.
The aftermath, the celebration that ensued after Delle Donne's desperation heave didn't fall, and felt a little like a sample of what is to come should Drexel win its second consecutive Colonial Athletic Association title.
A team that can overcome the loss of its star, a team that can rely on anyone at any given moment, it was the type of effort that embodies the mantra of a team that looks like it is on a mission to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Against the Blue Hens, that anyone was Stjarnstrom, a little-used forward thrust into action after starter Tyler Hale fouled out. Stjarnstrom eventually scored what proved to be the decisive basket, a put-back off a missed 3-pointer by Rosseel that made it 68-67 with 23 seconds remaining in the second OT.
She ended up a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor, notching six points and six rebounds in 24 minutes-though she wasn't the only one who stepped up.
Rosseel, who like Marginean finished with a team-high 20 points, drained several clutch 3s-five in all-none bigger than the one she knocked down with 1:45 left from the corner that got the Dragons within 67-66. She also drilled the 3 that sent the game into a second OT.
Nacickaite overcame a horrendous shooting performance, finishing with 11 points and 13 rebounds on 4-for-19 from the floor. Playing with a broken thumb on her left hand, Nacickaite never stopped firing despite missing her first 12 shots and eventually ended up being Drexel's primary scoring threat with Marginean on the bench.
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