Dec. 13, 2009

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance for the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team Sunday afternoon against Drexel. The Hawks dug themselves a 44-18 deficit at the half, but turned in their most inspired half of the year in the second stanza, scoring 51 points. Unfortunately for Saint Joseph's, its rally came up short as the Hawks fell to the Dragons, 71-69.

Trailing by 29 points twice in the second half, Saint Joseph's (3-7) chipped away at the deficit, using a 14-2 run, from 17:11 to 12:35, to cut Drexel's lead from 49-20 to 51-34 as senior forward Brittany Ford scored two of her career-high 25 points.

Both teams exchanged baskets over the next six minutes, with the Dragons maintaining a 64-47 edge on a pair of free throws by Gabriela Marginean with 7:20 left in the contest.

The Hawks' defense stiffened from their, while their offense took over with a 13-0 run to make it a 64-60 game on a pair of free throws by senior guard Mariame Djouara (Owing Mills, Md./St. Timothy's) at 1:55. Saint Joseph's caused six turnovers and made Drexel go 0-for-3 in its other possessions as it made it into a two-possession game.

Drexel (4-3) upped its lead back to six twice, but the Hawks answered, making it a 68-64 game with 36 seconds remaining.

A free throw by the Dragons' Marisa Crane made it a 69-65 game, but a Ford layup cut the deficit to three with 12 seconds to go.

Marginean, who was fouled immediately on the inbounds, converted both free throws at the other end, forcing SJU to get a quick basket.

Saint Joseph's freshman guard Shelby Smith buried a three pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining, but Drexel quickly inbounded the ball to Marginean to run out the clock and hold on for the win.

In the first half, the Hawks struggled on offense to start the game, going 0-for-7 from the field and turning the ball over six times, while Drexel jumped out to a 16-0 advantage.

Leading 28-11, the Dragons used a 16-7 run over the final 7:24 of the half to take a 44-18 lead into the locker room. Drexel shot 61.5 percent from the floor (16-of-26) and 8-of-11 from three-point range and held SJU to just 31.8 percent (7-of-22) in the opening half.

For the game, Saint Joseph's went 26-of-58 from the floor (44.8 percent), 3-of-7 from three-point range (42.9 percent) and 14-of-18 from the foul line (77.8 percent). At the other end, Drexel finished 22-of-50 from the floor (22-of-50), but shot just 6-of-24 from the field in the second half. The Dragons shot 55.6 percent from behind the arc (10-of18) and went 17-of-19 from the foul line (17-of-19).

Individually, Ford went 8-of-12 from the field and 9-of-11 from the foul line for 25 points, while sophomore guard Michelle Baker added 13 points and eight rebounds. Djouara finished with a game-high six assists and five steals to go with 12 points, while sophomore forward Kelly Cavallo finished with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds as the Hawks out rebounded Drexel 38-26.

Marginean tallied 26 points, including 11-of-11 from the foul line, as she became the first player in Drexel history to surpass the 2,000-point plateau.

Saint Joseph's returns to action on Tuesday, December 22 as SJU hosts Old Dominion at 1 p.m.

***Photos from today's game available at www.sidelinephotos.com.