Two CAA conference teams visited the Daskalakis Athletic Center to take on the Drexel Women’s Basketball Team over the weekend. The Dragons showed their prowess in both games and proved why they are the top team in the conference.
On Friday, Jan. 31, the Dragons took on their first CAA opponent, Towson. The two teams are familiar foes. The last time they met was in the CAA final of last year where the Tigers took down Drexel to earn the title. Although this time it was not a championship game, the Dragons got their vengeance.
It was a bit of a slow start from the Dragons as Townson went on a 7-0 run to start the first. When the Dragons needed a basket, Kate Connolly and Keishana Washington gave the team a boost off the bench. Each player made a 3-pointer, making their presence known from the start. Hannah Nhill and Bailey Greenberg also made 3-pointers later in the quarter giving the Dragons the lead 17-11. At the end of the first quarter, the Dragons led 23-15.
Bailey Greenberg continued her tremendous senior season. In the second quarter, she moved to sixth place on Drexel’s all-time scoring list. She started off the quarter with a three and already had double-digit points with 11. Drexel controlled the second quarter and earned their largest lead in the game, 35-19. Towson tried to close in the gap going into halftime but couldn’t manage it. Entering the locker room, Drexel lead 41-27.
Townson picked up where they left off and made three straight buckets to make it an eight-point game; 41-33. The Dragons couldn’t find the flow on offense and got by with scoring only eight points in the third quarter. The Tigers were in the bonus after six personal fouls from Drexel going into the fourth. The score was 49-39.
The gap was closing in favor of the Tigers. To start the quarter, TU went on a 9-0 streak, decreasing Drexel’s lead to three points. Aubree Brown made two of Drexel’s three baskets in the fourth. The Dragons held on winning 59-50. Both Greenberg and Nihill finished in double digits. Greenberg poured in a game-high 19, while Nihill had 11. Connolly and Washington combined for 17 off the bench. At the end of the game, Greenberg now has 1,607 career points for the Dragons.
Coming off the win against Townson, DU had to look ahead to their next CAA game, a top-two match up. They hosted the James Madison Dukes in their annual Play4Kay game honoring all the lives lost to cancer. The Dukes and Dragons were neck and neck in the standings before entering the game as both teams held a 7-1 record.
One name: Keishana Washington. The sophomore had a career night off the bench. She recorded 27 points and drained six 3-pointers. She was 10-13 and only played a total of 24 minutes.
The Dragons started the game with an 11-1 lead. The Dukes struggled to find their footing causing them to score five points at the end of the first. Washington and Greenberg both made baskets from long-distance giving Drexel the lead 18-5 going into the second.
Kate Connolly was the star in the second quarter. Drexel scored 19 in the quarter and Connolly contributed half of those points. Hannah Nihill and Bailey Greenberg both made baskets in the quarter. JMU knocked down some shots to slow down Drexel making the score 33-22 at halftime.
James Madison came out of the gate hot to begin the second half. They cut the lead down to just three points, but then Drexel hammered back making the score 44-34 with about two minutes left in the third. At the end of the third, Washington, Greenberg, and Connolly were all in double digits. The Dragons had the advance, 44-37, entering the last period.
The fourth quarter, like the first, belonged to Washington. She was doing it all, layups and jump shots. The Dragons capitalized on turnovers made by the Dukes. JMU’s first points in the quarter came with around six points left. The Dragons shot 48 percent from the field and had nine steals.
Along with Washington’s 27 points, Bailey Greenberg had 18 points and Kate Connolly added 11. Drexel is continuing its hot streak with eight wins in a row and 10-1 at the DAC. Drexel will now hit the road to play two other CAA teams. They will battle Hofstra and Northeastern on tonight and Feb. 9. Will the Dragons remain first in the conference?