The Drexel University men’s crew team outdid itself again. On top of taking an overall first place finish at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta and numerous other first place regatta finishes this season, the men’s team brought home another victory for the Dragons.

The Dragons took 15th place at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association’s National Championships, which took place May 29-31 at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey.

IRA Championships were a big goal for the Dragons this season. One of their main focuses this season was to move up from their placing last year, when they finished in 19th place.

The regatta, as indicated by its name, hosts all of the best collegiate rowing programs in the nation, including the University of Washington, Harvard University and fellow University City resident the University of Pennsylvania.

Drexel sent five boats to the championships, and just like last year, every boat that entered the competition fought to a top-20 finish.

The best finish for the team came from the freshman eight boat, which came in sixth at the championships, measuring up very well against some of the best boats in the country. The freshman eight boat was the only Drexel boat that competed in a grand final race. The Dragons came in behind boats from first place overall finisher University of Washington, and a couple of other great programs including Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a time of 6:04.01.

The next best Dragon boat, the varsity four boat, took 16th place, while the third varsity eight boat took 17th, the second varsity eight boat took 19th and the first varsity eight boat took 20th.

It wasn’t only the men’s success this weekend that catapulted the Drexel crew team into the headlines as the season came to a close. Seven female rowers were named to the Collegiate Rowing Association Coaches list of National Scholar Athletes June 1. Qualifying athletes had to earn 3.5 cumulative GPAs, be at least sophomore standing and row in at least 75 percent of the team’s events for the season.

The student-athletes that received honors were Abigail Colasacco, Tori King, Amanda Kleuser, Elise Levito, Julie McGlynn, Barbara McKenna and Nupur Parikh.

This is the second year that Kleuser and McGlynn have earned the honor and the third for King, Leviot and McKenna.

The season, overall, was a huge success for the Dragons, marked by the team’s third straight Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta title and other numerous cup wins, such as the Bergen Cup and the Kerr Cup.

The returning members of the team will get back to work for their fall season in late September.

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The men’s crew team rows during the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta. The team will compete in its final race of the season at the IRA National Championships May 29. (Photo courtesy Drexel Dragons)

The Drexel University crew team will compete in its final outing of the season May 29-31, as the men’s team will head to Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey, to compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association’s National Championships.

With a name like that, this regatta is nothing short of a big deal.

IRA Nationals have been one of the Dragons’ biggest goals since the beginning of the fall crew season, something they set their eyes on early to prepare for.

Last year, Drexel sent six boats to the regatta, and all six of the competing boats finished in top 20 spots. Overall, the Dragons finished 19th as a team. In last year’s competition, an especially notable finish came from the freshman eight boat, which finished in 10th place at the prestigious qualifying-only regatta.

This year, all Dragon racers hope to compete at the same elite level, once again racing against some of the best competition nationwide.

Other competitors hitting the water alongside Drexel include programs like Cornell University, Northeastern University, Princeton University and Dartmouth University.

Coming off their successful outing at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, the Dragons will be coming into the race will a good amount of success under their belts. The men’s second varsity eight and freshman eight boats took gold medals, the varsity four took silver, and the varsity eight and freshman four took bronze medals.

This year, Drexel will only send five boats to Mercer Lake to represent the Dragon rowing team. The boats racing are the first, second and third varsity eight boats, the freshman eight, and the varsity four.

First heats for the boats racing begin Friday, May 29, and boats that advance will continue to compete through Saturday and Sunday for final competitions. Races for the Dragons will kick off at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, with the varsity eight leading off the morning.

This will be the last race of the season for the Dragons, and for the seniors, the last races of their careers. The team will especially miss the leadership of current senior captains Marko Durica, Brian McCabe and Grigorios Papadourakis.

With the hard work, dedication and leadership they have devoted to the team, the seniors — and the rest of the Dragons — hope to find the same success that they achieved at nationals last year.

IRA Nationals begin May 29 and will close with final placing May 31.

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The women’s crew team rows down the Schuylkill River during the 2015 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta May 9. (Neeharika Simha – The Triangle)

While the men of the Drexel University crew team dominated the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, earning most of the points to win Drexel a third-straight title, the women’s team had its time to shine May 17 at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships Regatta.

The regatta, held at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey, hosted women’s teams from five top-notch rowing programs in the CAA conference. Joining Drexel on the water were teams from the University of Delaware, Northeastern University, Eastern Michigan University and the University at Buffalo.

Going into the race, the Dragons had hoped to move up a place from their finish last year, incrementally climbing towards the top spot. In 2014, the Dragons took third behind second-place Buffalo and first-place finisher Northeastern.

While first place would have been ideal, head coach Paul Savell said their goal was simple: just get one notch closer to the top.

And, as usual, the Dragons did not disappoint. Earning 30 overall points, the women took second place behind Northeastern and also passing Buffalo.

The teams racing earned points from three different races: first and second varsity eight boats and the varsity four. However, the championships also had a third varsity eight boat race.

Drexel took second place in the varsity four, the varsity eight and the second varsity eight races, which earned them enough points to achieve second place.

In the first varsity eight race, the Dragons were edged out of first place by less than three seconds, with Northeastern just barely grabbing gold.

The Dragons also took third place in the third varsity eight race.

First place finisher Northeastern totaled 36 points in the regatta, and Buffalo trailed Drexel with 22 points of its own.

In addition to the team places, individual honors were awarded May 17. Four Drexel women received honors.

All of the ladies that received awards were senior members of the first varsity eight boat.

Three of the honorees, six-seat Jayme Batcher, three-seat Bridget Pfeifer and coxswain Cat Hamilton earned positions as members of the
All-CAA rowing team.

Amanda Kleuser, the two-seat in the varsity eight boat, was the other award member. She was named to the All-CAA academic team.

With the women done for the season, the crew team’s only competition left is the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships May 29-31. The regatta will also be held at Mercer Lake.

The championships have been a main goal for the Dragons all season, after Drexel finished No. 19 nationally last year.

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Drexel crew prepares for a day on the water. (DrexelDragons.com)

While the Drexel University crew members weren’t all at the same regatta last weekend, they achieved important results on both sides of the country.

Although most of the men’s and women’s boats raced at the Murphy Cup Regatta in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on the Cooper River March 28, the men’s first varsity eight boat also traveled to California March 29 to compete in the San Diego Crew Classic.

“It was an important race for us … putting us in a situation where we’re racing other Top-20 teams,” head rowing coach Paul Savell said when asked about the team’s trip to California.

While the men in the first varsity eight boat took sixth place overall and got to experience some of the stiffest competition that they will compete against this season (in teams like California University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval Academy), Savell thought the racing left a little bit to be desired.

“We felt like we probably should’ve performed a little better than we did,” Savell noted. “We analyzed the race and saw some parts where we just need to do better. It’s definitely something we can build on … it was a worthwhile race to be in,” he continued.

The men’s varsity eight was recently ranked in USRowing’s preseason Top 20. The Dragons are currently slotted at No. 18; however, Savell doesn’t want to get too caught up with any rankings.

“It’s nice to be ranked, but it doesn’t really give you any advantage when you’re on the starting line,” he said.

While San Diego functioned as a learning experience for the men, the Murphy Cup Regatta saw an excellent showing of Dragon rowing, with six out of the 11 boats back in New Jersey competing advancing the final heats of their respective races.

Of the six competing in finals, three boats medaled.

“It was good to see all our eights in the finals,” Savell said. “That’s important.”

The men’s second varsity eight and the men’s freshman eight A boat rowed their way to gold medals. The other boat earning a medal was the women’s varsity eight, which placed in third, just behind tough competitors Navy and College of the Holy Cross.

Despite not being a first-place finish, this third-place result was especially good for the women, Savell said.

“Women’s varsity eight did an outstanding job to take third,” he explained. “It means we’re on a good trajectory.”

Overall, crew is kicking off its spring season to a successful start through both learning experiences and good showings at races. Savell and the rest of the coaching staff are relying heavily on the great leadership in this year’s captains to help guide the team to the best success possible, with the big goals being the Dad Vail Regatta and qualifying for NCAAs.

“We really have amazing leadership in our captains this year,” Savell said. “On the women’s side, [Catherine] Hamilton, [Barbara] McKenna, Bridget Pfeifer, they really help keep the team focused on the end goal, which is Dad Vails and trying to get to the NCAAs.

“We haven’t had a team talking about getting the NCAAs this much ever before, and when you have that goal in front of you all the time, people are going to keep reaching for it.”

The men have equally as impressive captains to lead their side.

“Marko Durica, Brian McCabe, [Grigorios] Papadourakis … they are just really positive,” Savell continued. “They kept the team really on task [the past weekend].” He said he was impressed with the focus of the men’s team despite the fact that they were split up over the past weekend.

The next time the Dragons hit the water will be April 4, for a race on their home turf, the Schuylkill River.

“It’s going to be another tough race,” Savell said.

The men will face one of their biggest rivals, and strongest competitors in a talented Georgetown University team. The women will face off with Bucknell University, who they have historically battled head to head with. Also joining them on the river will be Saint Joseph’s University, Williams College and Temple University.

The regatta April 4 will not only be very important in helping both the men and women to prepare for stiff competition and bigger races but will also serve as an important factor in seeding for the bigger regattas at the end of the season.

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Photo Courtesy: Gabriella Ibieta

Santiago, Chile: What jumps to mind is the stunning sight of a vibrant city skyline with the backdrop of majestic mountains in a beautiful South American country. Now, imagine it in 1973. Do we know what it looked like?

Many of us who aren’t history buffs don’t, but the scene is less than inviting. It was a war zone.

Last September before the start of fall term, College of Arts and Sciences associate professor Gabriella Ibieta took six students to Chile on a 12-day (including traveling) intensive abroad course to study Chilean literature, where they each earned three credits for an English course titled, “Santiago de Chile: Sites of Remembrance.” The course is catered to students who don’t find it feasible to spend an entire term abroad but still want a global experience.

At the start of 1973 and the Chilean coup d’etat, Chile had become very unstable socially and politically, under the rule of socialist President Salvador Allende. This was the height of the Cold War, with communism taking root all over the hemisphere. As the Chilean Congress fought against Allende, a military group called the “Junta” struck, assassinating the president and taking control of Chile from 1973 through a good portion of the 1980s.

What happened next plagued the Chilean citizens. As the Junta dominated society as they knew it, thousands of Chileans were exiled and displaced due to the political uprising, with thousands of others “disappearing,” never to be heard from or seen by their families again. Their bodies? Never found.

The coup took a huge toll from the nation, but from it, came some of the most notable pieces of Chilean Literature — stories filled with both action and tragedy. How better could a reader understand these works than to visit the sites of the tragedies themselves?

That’s a question Ibieta likely considered as she worked in conjunction with Drexel’s study abroad program to create a trip to specifically explore this violent and turbulent period of history.

“[The work] becomes much more real when you’re at an actual sight,” Ibieta explained of the true experience of piece of literature.

“From an academic standpoint, it’s amazing how much I learned through this experience and all in such a very short time. Without this experience and merely reading the texts, I don’t think I would have walked away with as deep of an understanding of the social injustice the people of Chile face[d],” Madison Sukenick, a business student who joined Ibieta on the trip, said.

The only academic requirement the students had while in Chile was to journal each day about what they saw at a specific sight and give a personal reflection on it.

While in Chile, they explored many different historical sights to provide them with the insight they needed to more deeply understand the Chilean culture in context of the pieces they would read. The places they visited included both museums and nature sites, from the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Historic Center of Santiago and to San Cristobal Hill, Santiago’s secondighest point.

They interacted with other students in a visit to Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The group also spent two days on the coast of Chile, where they got to tour the home of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda, and visit Valparaiso, an important Latin American seaport.

However, as noted by both Ibieta and the students, the emphasis and most profound sites of the trip were two visits to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, and a trip Villa Grimaldi Peace Park. These two sites most strongly represent the conflict that the people of Chile faced. Their journals reflected their appreciation for each of these sights.

“The … thing that struck me most was a wall of faces, not immediately visible from the floor, but viewed from a room lined with plastic candles,” international area studies major Patrick Michaelis wrote in his journal about an exhibit in the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. “You can read all you want about the numbers of people who were killed, but actually seeing them puts a human spin on it that really couldn’t be achieved otherwise. That in particular was the most moving part of what is truly a moving museum.”

Photo Courtesy: Gabriella Ibieta

Similarly, the response to Villa Grimaldi was emotional.

“Trying to reconstruct the history of one’s country while paying respect to those who were victims to said history is a difficult and delicate task. I felt that Villa Grimaldi captured this confusion; it was an attempt to make peace with a history that is still very much unsettled. Various pieces of Villa Grimaldi were created to symbolize the brutality that occurred here or the victim’s feelings towards it … the memorial is well done,” marketing major Elizabeth Slenker commented.

Unlike many other short-term Drexel courses abroad, this trip wasn’t over when the students returned from Chile. That was just the start — after gaining the entire cultural context, that’s when they studied the literature. The class met once a week on Thursday evenings, in a similar nature to a traditional literature course. They read four novels and numerous articles on Chile, all with the benefit of experiencing the country and the culture first hand.

Ibieta is enthusiastic that the trip will be running again this fall, from Sept. 6-15. The deadline to apply for the trip is May 1, and the program costs $750 (excluding airfare and meals).

“The University has a very precise plan of what we want to accomplish. … One of those goals is to truly make Drexel very global,” Ibieta explained.

With such a positive reaction to this trip from the students, it’s not a question that many others will want to take their Drexel career abroad too.

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Rachel Pearson dribbles up the court against The College of William & Mary Feb. 6. The Dragons lost to the Tribe, starting a two-game skid, but they recovered against Towson University with of a 66-52 win. (Photo Courtesy – Drexeldragons.com)

After a long week at home to prepare after two consecutive crushing losses to Colonial Athletic Association rivals James Madison University and The College of William & Mary, the Drexel University women’s basketball team is back in the game.

After hitting the road Feb. 15 and traveling to Maryland, the Dragons dismantled an unprepared Towson University Tiger’s team on their own home court.

The win was a balanced effort, with six Dragons contributing significantly to the 66-52 win. Drexel kept their lead consistent, winning the first and second half by seven points a piece, creating the total deficit of 14. At the end of the first period, Drexel held a 27-20 lead on the Tigers.

While the Dragons controlled the game from pretty early in the first half, Towson did not go down without a fight. The Tigers went on an uncontested 11 point run in the second half to jump in front of the Dragons by three points at 43-40 with just over nine minutes left to play.

Following a Drexel timeout with 9:22 to play, the Dragons cleaned up their act. After a three pointer from Rachel Pearson and two free throws from freshman Sara Woods, Drexel took back the lead and maintained it for the rest of the game.

Again, the defense was Drexel’s largest asset against Towson, as they forced the Tigers to 15 turnovers and only committed six themselves.
While regular contributors Pearson and Sarah Curran added significantly in the game with 15 and eight points, respectively, Drexel got amazing contributions from reserve player Alexis Smith.

Smith, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard from Lusby, Maryland, has been an important contributor in the backcourt during the second half of this season, especially in lieu of Drexel missing point guard Meghan Creighton to a knee injury. In four of the last seven games, Smith has added double digits, and she is one of the top three free throw shooters on the team, making 39 of her 44 attempts this season.

In the game against Towson, Smith dropped 19 to help lead the Dragons pass the Tigers, shooting an impressive 56 percent from the field.

Senior Jackie Schluth also added eight points and eight rebounds for Drexel, and Jamila Thompson grabbed eight boards alongside four assists and eight points to bring the Dragons to their 66-52 win.

The Dragons then traveled to South Carolina where they destroyed the College of Charleston to win their second straight game by a score of 63-52.

Led by strong performances by Schluth and Pearson, the Dragons won an important CAA matchup.

Drexel is currently in the race for the No. 2 spot in CAA women’s basketball standings. Hofstra, who split with the Dragons in regular season, has made a comeback to a record of 9-5 within league play. After their wins at Towson and Charleston, Drexel is 10-4 in the CAA (15-9 overall). The University of Delaware also isn’t far behind, trailing by two games at a league record of 8-6.

Translation? Every game matters at this point for the Dragons if they want to secure a playoff spot. Only five games remain on the schedule for the remainder of the regular season and cinching the next few games will guarantee a spot for the Dragons in the post season.

Drexel’s next matchup is on the road at the University of Delaware Feb. 22 .

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Carrie Alexander makes a move against her defender during the Dragons’ Jan. 25 matchup against the University of Delaware. Alexander was one of the leading scorers for the Dragons this week, scoring 10 points against Towson University and 13 points against James Madison University. (Photo Courtesy – Drexeldragons.com)

The Drexel University women’s basketball team is preparing to get on the road after they’ve turned cold at home, dropping two games in a row to Colonial Athletic Association rivals — The College of William & Mary Feb. 6 and James Madison University Feb. 8.

Drexel, 14-9 overall, had only lost one game at home before their contests last weekend, and were on a four-game winning streak before they met their defeat in double-overtime loss versus William & Mary.

Despite many a mental lapse against the Tribe, the Dragons kept themselves in the game until the second overtime. Drexel was up by two points going into halftime, but was plagued by an unsightly amount of turnovers, totaling 26 including the two overtime periods.

“Friday night’s game against William & Mary was just a matter of too many lulls in our execution on offense and … getting the necessary stops on defense,” head coach Denise Dillon said.

Despite the loss, four Dragons put up double figures against the Tribe. Senior Jackie Schluth added 14, juniors Rachel Pearson and Carrie Alexander added 11 and 10, respectively, and sophomore Alexis Smith contributed 11. The final score of the game was 72-68.

Against James Madison, the Dragons faced a much less competitive game, as the Dukes, who are undefeated in conference play, dominated the first half. Going into the second period, the Dukes led by 17 points after shooting an impressive 57 percent from the field. The Dragons, on the other hand, struggled to put the ball in the net, going only 31 percent from the floor.

“Shots didn’t fall for us and we didn’t get stops that we needed, and it snowballed,” Dillon explained.

James Madison was powered by their strong inside game, led by CAA bullies Precious Hall and Lauren Okafor, despite Drexel’s effort to contain the Dukes two leading scorers. Hall added 19 points and Okafor contributed 11.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Dillon said. “[James Madison], they’re legit, and they’ve proven that in this conference.”

While the Dragons fell behind in the first half, they didn’t go down without a fight. Attempting to decrease the first half deficit, they battled in the second half, and the Dukes only outscored the Dragons by one bucket.

“I was pleased with the turn around in the second half. … At halftime I talked about trying to get back to what we do, how do we identify ourselves? We’re a defensive team. … It’s a matter of just fighting, giving it all we have,” Dillon said. Drexel held the Dukes to 30 points in the second half, a strong improvement from the 43 that James Madison netted in the first half.

Big numbers for the Dragons again came from Schluth, Pearson and Alexander, with 10, 12 and 13 points each respectively. Senior Jamila Thompson also added eight points and six boards. The final score was 73-54.

Now with four conference losses under their belt, the Dragons are looking to buckle down and hang on to their No. 2 spot with just under a month of regular season play left before playoffs begin. While they hold second place in the conference with a record of 8-4, Elon and Hofstra are not far behind, with records of 7-4 and 7-5 respectively.

“It’s up to us to get ourselves back on track to try and hold that two spot,” Dillon said.

From here on out, it is the Dragon’s goal to stay focused and disciplined, with the regular season quickly coming to a close and key games coming up to definitively secure a playoff spot.

“It’s trying not to look ahead, it’s each day at practice, getting better and then focusing on the next opponent,” Dillon said.

“It really is the willingness to continue to get better, [to have an] open mind to learn, make adjustments … show up each day [and] say what more can we do,” Dillon explained.

Drexel will hit the road Sunday, Feb. 15 and head to Towson University for their first of three consecutive away games. After Towson, the Dragons will face the College of Charleston, and rival University of Delaware. Dillon is confident that despite the fact they won’t have the home court advantage, the Dragons will perform well.

“I think it might be a good thing for us,” Dillon said about getting on the road. “I always say when you’re on the road, there are less distractions, you have one job: to get out there and play. You’re focused on your opponent and what their tendencies are and what you have to do as a player and as a team.”

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Rachel Pearson dribbles the ball down the court for the Dragons. (Photo Courtesy – Drexeldragons.com)

The Drexel University Dragons have proven to be hot in the past two weeks, jumping to a four-game winning streak with wins at home and on the road versus the College of Charleston and the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

The Drexel women’s basketball team’s success has been largely attributed to the tight defense the team has displayed over the last four games, which has proven especially important with several lapses on the offensive end in the second half. In the past two games, the Dragons have held their opponents to low-scoring, with Charleston scoring 47 and UNC Wilmington only putting 44 on the board.

“The defense has helped us get the wins in the end,” Head Coach Denise Dillon said. While she noted that the offense is hot and cold at times for the Dragons, she was sure to give the team “credit on the defensive end.”

In their game against Charleston, highlights came from Sarah Curran and Rachel Pearson, each netting 18 points for the game. Drexel controlled the lead for the entire game, leading the Cougars 29-11 going into halftime.

Again, their first half lead propelled them to the win, as the Cougars scored 36 points in the second half to Drexel’s 35, as the Dragons turned the ball over eight times in the last 20 minutes. Despite the fact that they were outscored in the second half, they held on to the win, the final score of the game was 64-47.

Versus the University of North Carolina Wilmington, a slew of Dragons contributed to get Drexel the win. All of the eight players that hit the court contributed on the scoreboard, and six of the eight added at least three rebounds apiece.

Similarly, Drexel had the lead for the whole game, with their largest lead being 17 points. However, unlike their last game and several other performances that weren’t up to par in the last 20 minutes of play, the Dragons dominated in the second half. While they were only up by six at halftime, in the second half they outscored the Seahawks by 11 points.

Double-digit contributions came from Florence Ouattara with 10 and Pearson with 13. Jamila Thompson dominated the boards, grabbing nine rebounds in the win.

Pearson, the second leading scorer for the Dragons averaging 11.8 points per game, has now had six performances in a row where she has scored double digits. Last week, she earned athlete of the week honors for Drexel for her performance in the last two games. She is second in the league in three-point shooting performance, going 39.6 percent from behind the arc.

Drexel, now 8-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play, has a good hold on the second place spot within the conference behind rival James Madison University who is 9-0. After playing The College of William & Mary Friday, Feb. 6 at home, they will face James Madison Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Dillon acknowledges that the game against James Madison will be a tough one to pull off, despite the fact that the Dragons home court advantage. In terms of a win, she said, “[we would have] to have the best game [that day] in order to do so.

“[James Madison] has separated themselves from every other team in the league … with eight games remaining, past the halfway point, it would be tough to knock them out,” Dillon continued.

The key in the game against James Madison will be limiting the catches of their best player, Precious Hall, and other standout Lauren Okafor, who are averaging 21 and 13.6 points respectively.

“We’re focusing on the games we can win at home,” Dillon said, “We’re trying to hold on to that [number] two spot.”

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Rachel Pearson launches from long distance during the Dragons’ homecoming matchup against the University of Delaware. In the game, Pearson led the team in points with 17 to go with her 6 rebounds. (Photo Courtesy – Drexeldragons.com)

The Drexel University women’s basketball team has shown again that they are on a roll, as they picked up another win at home Jan. 25 against big Colonial Athletic Association rival University of Delaware. The win takes the Dragons to a record of 7-1 at home and 12-7 overall.

While the Blue Hens had the first bucket of the game, a three pointer from Rachel Pearson put Drexel up 3-2 in the first two minutes of the game.

After another bucket from each team, with the score 5-4, Drexel took off and controlled the lead for the rest of the game, even though the game became tight coming down the stretch.

Drexel’s lead in the first half can largely be attributed to the balance of scoring by seven different Dragons and their high shooting percentage. The Dragons went nearly 40 percent from the floor, 50 percent from behind the three-point line, and an impressive eight for eight from the foul line.

Drexel also kept the Blue Hens’ offense in check in the first 20 minutes of play, limiting Delaware to just 21 points in the first half with their tenacious defense.

Going into halftime, the Dragons had built themselves an 11-point lead, outscoring Delaware 32-21, leaving them some room to breathe before entering the second period.

As in many other games this season, their first-half lead would prove important, as the Blue Hens did not go down without a fight. During the second half, Delaware outscored the Dragons by six, with Drexel only picking up the win with a five point scoring deficit. With less than two minutes to play in the game, the Blue Hens cut a 12-point lead to a 3-point one, going on an uncontested nine point run.

Drexel somewhat lapsed on both ends of the floor in the second half. Offensively, the Dragons still shot 53 percent from the floor in the second period and went eight for nine from the line. However, they weren’t taking care of the ball as well as they normally do, committing 13 turnovers in comparison to Delaware only committing four.

On the defensive end, they couldn’t seem to stop Erika Brown and Courtni Green, two Blue Hens that each added double figures in the second half alone (13 and 11 points respectively).

On the other hand, Drexel had one of their best rebounding games of the season, grabbing 39 boards while Delaware only had 22.

Major contributions for Drexel came from usual standouts Sarah Curran and Pearson. Curran netted 14 points and seven rebounds for the game, while Pearson added 17 points and six rebounds. She also went four for four from the free throw line. Freshman Kelsi Lidge also added eight points to help the Dragons win.

Their win in the homecoming game matchup against the Blue Hens, alongside a Hofstra University loss against The College of William & Mary, has definitively put Drexel in the second place spot in the CAA with a record of 6-2. The Dragons are only following rival James Madison University, who is 8-0 in conference play.

In order for the Dragons to maintain their winning streak and successful position in the conference, it will be important for them to tighten up their second-half performances. In closer games, the second half will be imperative to grab wins.

The Dragons return to play at home Friday, Jan. 30 against the College of Charleston (2-6 in CAA, 4-15 overall).

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Forward Kelsi Lidge drives against University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Naqiayyah Teague during the Dragons’ Jan. 11 matchup against UNCW. The Dragons won the close contest by a score of 58-53. (Photo Courtesy – Drexeldragons.com)

The Drexel University women’s basketball team has improved to 3-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play (9-6 overall) after picking up both a win versus the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a loss against Hofstra University at home last weekend.

Versus Hofstra, the Dragons had many chances to capture the win but couldn’t seem to fight past the Pride. Despite taking the game to overtime, Drexel fell short one point in a 53-52 loss.

The loss against Hofstra marks the first game that the Dragons have lost at home this season. Drexel struggled to hit shots right from tipoff, scoring only 18 points in the first half, and going 30 percent from the field and zero-for-five from the three-point line.

While Drexel outscored the Pride in the second half by four points, it still wasn’t enough to put them ahead as the game went into overtime, and Drexel was held to just four points in the five minute extra period.

“The game against Hofstra will sit with us until we get them back or continue on the right path with getting some wins,” Head coach Denise Dillon said. “That was a frustrating loss. We weren’t clicking, we weren’t on the same page, [and we] coughed up a game here at home,” she continued.

Despite the loss at home, Dillon, in her 12th season with the Dragons, is optimistic about the team’s performance thus far. “Obviously we look at the record. I’m pleased with where we stand but there’s still plenty of room for growth,” Dillon said.

The Dragons bounced back after the Hofstra game, capturing another tight game Jan. 11 versus UNC Wilmington in a 58-53 win. Key performances came from senior forward Jamila Thompson and sophomore Sarah Curran, who have proven recently, along with contributions from forward Jackie Schluth, that the Dragons have more than just an outside shooting game.

“The biggest thing we’re working on to adjust four games into conference play is that we’re working inside-out. We’re working in the paint [first, and then] to our outside shooting which is so opposite of what Drexel basketball has been in the past,” Dillon explained.

Versus the Seahawks, the inside game was the dominating force for the Dragons, with Curran contributing 16 points and Thompson adding 12 points and 10 rebounds to give her first career double-double. Thirty of the 58 points scored by Drexel came from within the paint.

On the whole, Dillon feels confident in the team’s ability going forward and their overall performance so far. “You put together a tough out of conference schedule to prepare you for conference. We certainly challenged ourselves with some of the teams we faced. We were excited with two big wins against city rivals in [Saint Joseph’s University] and [the University of Pennsylvania] [in December],” she noted.

The Dragons will look to build upon their losses so far, both in conference play and out-of-conference matches.

“The way we looked at it and talked to the team about it, we played some great teams that will certainly prepare us for what we’re seeing now in conference,” Dillon explained.

“We have seen it already and hopefully we have grown from some of those losses and prepared now for what needs to be done to turn it into a win.”

The Dragons took that mindset into their next contest, traveling to the College of William & Mary and taking the Tribe down by a slim margin, 49-46.

They held the lead for most of the night, responding to a 4-0 run to start the game by the Tribe with 6-0 run of their own, and the Dragons would never relinquish the lead.

Incredible games by Jamila Thompson and Rachel Pearson led the Dragons, as Pearson led the game in scoring and Thompson had 5 blocks in the contest and double digit assists and rebounds.

The Dragons will try to keep the momentum going as they play James Madison University Jan. 18.

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