Nov. 19, 2008

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball would fight back to within four points, but could never regain the lead as the Hawks fell to Drexel, 76-61, Wednesday evening at the Daskalakis Center. Saint Joseph's (1-2) got a team-high 14 points and six rebounds from junior forward Brittany Ford and 10 points from classmate Mariame Djouara.

Down 62-47 with 7:18 remaining, the Hawks' defense stiffened and created offensive opportunities during a 12-1 run. Saint Joseph's scored six of its points from the foul line, while a Ford layup at 3:52 cut the deficit to 63-59 as the SJU defense caused two turnovers and held the Dragons to 0-for-3 from the field.

The Hawks had a chance to cut their deficit to two or fewer as senior guard Mary Kate McDade broke up a Drexel pass and was fouled on the play. Saint Joseph's, which was in the bonus at the time, did not however go to the line and on the ensuing possession failed to score.

Drexel (1-1) grabbed the defensive rebound and Marisa Crane's three-pointer with 2:17 left started a 13-2 run to end the game.

The Hawks sprinted out to a 10-0 advantage to start the game behind six of junior Djouara's 10 points. Saint Joseph's went 4-of-7 from the field with a pair of free throws, while holding Drexel to 0-for-3 from the field and two turnovers.

Down 20-14, the Dragons got the ball to their go-to player, CAA Preseason Player of the Year Gabriela Marginean, to spark an 8-0 run to give Drexel its first lead, 22-21, on a driving layup at the 8:23 mark.

Neither team could separate itself from the other over the remainder of the first half as the lead changed hands three times. Saint Joseph's used a 4-0 spurt to finish the stanza, as a jumpshot by senior guard Jenna Loschiavo with 26 seconds remaining gave the Hawks a 35-32 advantage heading into the locker room.

The Hawks brought its momentum into the start of the second half, scoring the first six points to open a 41-32 lead on Djouara jumper at 18:04.

Despite leading by nine, Saint Joseph's could never put the Dragons away. Offensively, the Hawks went cold as Drexel caught fire as the Dragons went on a 21-1 run over the next seven minutes to take a 58-45 lead. Marginean tallied nine points, capping the run with a pair of free throws at 8:06 as Drexel went 8-of-12 from the field over that stretch.

For the game, Saint Joseph's shot 18-of-47 from the field and 23-of-30 from the foul line, but went just 2-of-11 from behind the arc and committed 21 turnovers. At the other end, the Dragons shot 28-of-56 from the floor, 8-of-21 from three-point range and 12-of-14 from the foul line. The Hawks out rebounded Drexel 34-27 in a game that featured seven lead changes and 47 fouls.

McDade, Loschiavo and freshman guard Michelle Baker each tallied seven point apiece for the Hawks, while Marginean and teammate Kasmina Rosseel added 35 points and 16 points, respectively.

Saint Joseph's returns to action next Tuesday, November 25 at Penn. Game time is set for 5 p.m. for the Hawks' Big 5 opener.

***Photos from tonight's game are available at www.sidephotos.com