The Drexel Dragons women’s basketball team made history April 6 when they won the WNIT and became the first women’s basketball team to win a Division I championship in Philadelphia.

With each step up the ladder to cut down the nets, senior guard Hollie Mershon was closer to realizing a dream she has had from the moment she stepped onto Drexel University’s campus. Words couldn’t express the feeling that she and fellow seniors Taylor Wootton, Renee Johnson-Allen and Nicki Jones had after completing the greatest season in Drexel women’s basketball history.

“When we were talking and getting interviewed after the game, I just said that it’s pretty amazing to cut down the nets that we’ve been shooting with all season long,” an elated Mershon said after the game. “It was such a good feeling to have a home crowd there when we cut them down.”

The Dragons came into the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Championship Game against The University of Utah in unfamiliar territory. They had never won a WNIT game before this season, let alone had the opportunity to compete for the title. However, the unfamiliarity did not stop the Dragons from stepping up to the occasion and winning their first-ever WNIT title.

After losing last year’s leading scorer, Kamile Nacickaite, the Dragons were picked to finish fourth in the preseason Colonial Athletic Association poll. However, head coach Denise Dillon knew she had a special group of players who had the chemistry and effort necessary to win games.

“Team chemistry was a big reason why we won so many games this year,” Dillon said. “When we met early in September, we knew we were going to be good [enough to] contend for a championship.”

Dillon also had a player in Mershon who set a new standard for every current and future Dragon. This season, Mershon led Drexel in scoring, rebounding and assists. She was also named First Team All-CAA and became the only player in Dragon history with 1,600 points and 300 assists in a career. The Dragons set a new team record with 28 wins and became the first Philadelphia Division I women’s basketball team to win a postseason tournament.

The WNIT Championship was a great game, considering the occasion. The Dragons trailed for much of the first half as Utah withstood every attempt by Drexel to take the lead. However, Utah saw its five-point lead diminish in the second half when Mershon did what she had done all year and stepped up to the plate. She made the shots needed to have the 1,922 fans in the Daskalakis Athletic Center storm the court to celebrate after the game.

The first half featured a Drexel team struggling to find answers offensively and defensively against the well-prepared Utes. As a result, the Dragons trailed 24-21 at the half. Early on in the second half, their struggles continued as Utah extended its lead to 31-24. Dillon’s team knew it had to find a way to contain Utah’s post play and create more chances on the offensive end.

“We went back to the 2-3 more [as well as] playing a little bit of man-to-man, but in the first half we were just getting lazy on defense,” Mershon, who was named the WNIT MVP, said. “In the second half we had to turn it up and stay on the defensive boards to eliminate their second-chance opportunities. We just really stepped up our game.”

That change helped to spark the Dragons’ second-half comeback, as the top-10-ranked Dragons defense allowed only two Utah points in a span of nine minutes in the second half. Johnson-Allen took a pass from Mershon with 10:38 remaining to tie the game at 33-33.

On their next trip down the floor, junior guard Fiona Flanagan hit a three from the top of the key to give the Dragons their first lead of the day. When Mershon drove down the lane on the Dragons’ next offensive possession, she gave them a 38-33 lead.

The last eight minutes of the game were a back-and-forth affair that saw the Dragons grind out the victory. After Utah’s Iwalani Rodrigues hit a three-pointer to give Utah a 43-42 lead with three minutes to go, the Dragon defense clamped down. And with 21 seconds remaining, Mershon drove down the left side and hit a layup to put Drexel up 44-43. After being fouled with nine seconds to go, she hit the two biggest free throws of her career to give the Dragons a 46-43 lead. While Utah had one final attempt to tie the game, the shot came up short, and the DAC Pack stormed the court.

This game was won by the Dragons in part thanks to the determination and will of the seniors both on and off the court. Wootton, who scored her 1,000th career point in the second half, led the team with 16 points. Mershon ended up with 14 points, even though she shot just 5-20 from the field, while Johnson-Allen finished with six points. Jones, who was lost to an injury late in the season and missed the final 15 games, was every bit a part of this team and the championship run.

“After playing every game up until I got hurt and being involved with my teammates, I still felt like a part of the team even though I wasn’t able to do anything [basketball-related] at all,” Jones said after the game. “So I still felt like I won the championship, which I did.”

After the game, the Dragons celebrated with their coaches, fans and families. This was the moment everyone on this team imagined being a part of: the confetti, music and dancing in celebration.

“Special” was the word Dillon used to describe her championship team. “Everything about this team was special. You know when you have something great, and this team had it.”

As each Dragon embraced this special moment, they realized they had one more step to take to complete their journey: the step off the ladder and back down to Earth.

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Senior guard Renee Johnson-Allen played 36 minutes in Drexel’s 46-43 WNIT Championship win over The University of Utah April 6 at the DAC. Johnson-Allen recorded six points, three rebounds and a crucial steal with 30 seconds left.

If you were to ask most young girls about their ideal “Cinderella story,” a typical response would consist of falling in love, attending some sort of magical dance and living happily ever after.

But you were to ask four special Drexel women, they would have a completely different story. And they would be able to provide it in vivid detail because they lived it.

Those four special women would be Hollie Mershon, Taylor Wootton, Nicki Jones and Renee Johnson-Allen. They are all seniors who saw their collegiate athletic careers draw to a fateful close when the Dragons defeated The University of Utah April 6 to claim the Women’s National Invitation Tournament championship.

After a game that was less than indicative of the kind of season she had, Mershon hit the game-winning layup with just 21 seconds remaining. After a Utah miss, she buried two free throws to put the Dragons up by three points, which was the final margin. It was a gritty finale from the leader of the team, one she said she could not have done by herself.

“I was missing a lot of layups, and I think it was just a lack of focus,” Mershon said. “At the end of the game, what really motivated me was my teammates and my coaches still believing in me to make the final and winning shot and placing the ball in my hands. Their support and confidence really helped get it done.”

And get it done she did. Those winning points, and the ensuing WNIT championship trophy, were merely signs of what she had done all year. Mershon averaged 19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, all of which led the team.

When it came time to lead the team in the final game of her career, Wootton stepped up early and often. She scored the Dragons’ first seven points when they struggled to get going offensively and paced the team with a game-high 16 points and six rebounds.

“I just really didn’t want the season to end,” Wootton said, her last name drawing its last “Woo” cheers from the Daskalakis Athletic Center crowd in possibly the most important performance of her career. “I just wanted to keep playing with my teammates, so I just tried to go out and do everything that I could do to help win the game.”

While Mershon and Wootton headed up the offensive end, Johnson-Allen did her best to shore up the Drexel defense, something she’s been known for since she came over from England to play for the Dragons. For Johnson-Allen especially, her final win in the Blue and Gold was something extremely amazing.

“I was playing basketball in my high school, and my coach just sent out game films,” Johnson-Allen said as she explained her long, ultimately fulfilling, journey. “I was fortunate enough that Drexel got back to my coach and gave me the opportunity to play here. My coach said it would be a good fit for me, and he was right. I’ve loved it, and it’s great to be able to come over here and win a . . . championship.”

And while her four years here yielded a great deal of success, due in no small part to her basketball skill, she still recognizes how lucky she is to have ended it in this manner.

“I know girls that are European and foreign and haven’t had the opportunity to come over and to win a . . . championship,” Johnson-Allen said. “I’ve enjoyed the chance to be here, and winning a . . . championship is greater than I ever expected.”

Jones had a slightly different path to becoming a champion. She was averaging 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season when she sustained a knee injury February 14 and was unable to play in the Dragons’ final 15 games. But as a senior and a leader on the team, Jones wasn’t going to let a little sideline action stop her from enjoying and impacting this special ride.

“There was time for me to go to practice when I wasn’t in rehab, and I was still talking to players and trying to help them out,” Jones said.

Jones’ comments sum up this team’s attitude nicely. To them, it did not matter how much or how little they contributed as individuals in the box score. They played as a single unit all season, feeding off each other during hot and cold streaks, and rode the hottest one of the season all the way to a championship.

The best part of winning a championship is the memorabilia. Championship T-shirts and hats are nice, sure, but the most valuable item these girls will take with them after they graduate this spring is the piece of net they cut down after their victory.

“I had never won any kind of championship before,” Wootton laughed. “I really can’t describe the feelings, I was so shocked after the win. And to win a championship and end my career with a win, you know, not many people can say that. . . . So it’s a great feeling.”

These seniors, the four proverbial horsewomen, wrote the perfect ending to their respective careers alongside their teammates. They have left an indelible mark on Drexel women’s basketball that will reverberate for years to come.

And they sure knew how to go out in style.

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Junior forward Abby Redick drives through the University of Florida defense in Drexel’s 67-57 win over the Gators in the WNIT semifinals. The Dragons will take on the University of Utah in the championship game April 6 at the DAC at 3 p.m.

Coming off a close defeat in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Game to the University of Delaware, the Drexel Dragons headed into postseason play with high hopes that that loss wouldn’t define their season. As a result, head coach Denise Dillon and her team put together a string of wins that led them to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Final.The road to the WNIT Final Four involved a pair of home wins, first a 59-50 decision against Iona University and then an 82-72 triumph over Harvard University. Following those victories the Dragons went on the road to Bowling Green State University and Auburn University. The Dragons pulled out a narrow 50-47 victory against Bowling Green in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the Dragons defeated Auburn 56-43 to return home for the WNIT Final Four.

In front of a packed Daskalakis Athletic Center crowd, the Dragons defeated the University of Florida April 3 to reach the WNIT Championship Game. It was the type of game that Dillon has imagined her team playing all season long. The Dragons had a strong defense that forced bad shots and turnovers, supporting role players who have continued to step up and score crucial points for the team, and finally a special player in senior Hollie Mershon, who has refused to lose in the last games of her career.

Mershon, as she has done all season, led the Dragons against Delaware with 28 points and 10 assists in the CAA Tournament Final. Her relentless play both on the offensive and defensive end willed the Dragons to their fifth consecutive victory in the WNIT in the game against Florida.

“Hollie Mershon is a special player, and she had an outstanding game,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said.

Along with Mershon’s stellar performance, fellow senior Taylor Wootton and junior Fiona Flanagan had impactful performances against the Gators. Wootton had continued her streak of scoring in double figures for the ninth consecutive game by scoring 16 points. Flanagan, whose three-pointer early in the game gave the Dragons a 9-6 lead they would not relinquish, finished with 11 points. The defense, which is ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA, forced 15 turnovers and six steals. The Dragons defense held a Florida team that had been averaging over 70 points in the WNIT to only 57 points.

Dillon believed the days off truly helped prepare her team for the challenges they would face against Florida.

“Well, I think the few days of preparation helps. We set the tempo and we didn’t allow them to get easy looks, and we talked about having all players want the ball and shoot the ball,” Dillon said.

The Dragons are doing something no Drexel team has ever done before by not only winning games in the WNIT but also defeating two Southeastern Conference opponents in Auburn and Florida for the first time in school history.

“I think we have a special team in general. Not only do we get along on the court but off the court as well,” Mershon said of her team.

Every victory adds to the incredible journey that the Drexel women’s basketball team is on. Every player on this team is contributing to this memorable run for the Dragons. Leading the way is Mershon, who played 39 minutes of the 40-minute contest. Her grit and determination have led the Dragons to heights they have never reached before. Only one more contest remains for her team to leave a legacy that no team has done before. On Saturday, April 6, at 3 p.m. against the University of Utah at the DAC, Mershon and her fellow seniors will look to cement their legacy by winning the WNIT Championship.

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During an interview with The Triangle’s Adam Hermann, Drexel Athletic Director Eric Zillmer spoke about recent issues in NCAA conference realignment. Zillmer was certain that the Dragons will stay in the CAA for the time being.

If you follow college basketball, chances are you have become tired of hearing the term “conference realignment.” If not, you don’t watch enough SportsCenter.

While the hottest-profile realignment situation has been the disbandment of the Big East and the creation of the American Athletic Conference, Drexel sports fans know that the Colonial Athletic Association has had its share of realignment shakeups lately.

The most recent in an ever-growing list of defections came when George Mason University, the CAA’s founding member, decided to leave the conference and head to the “greener” pastures of the Atlantic 10. They follow former fellow CAA member Virginia Commonwealth University to the A-10, while Georgia State University is heading to the Sun Belt Conference and Old Dominion University is joining Conference USA.

The conference, which is adding the College of Charleston next year, is now down to just nine members, a middling number of teams for a middling conference with middling talent.

Some people are indifferent to the movement, and some are highly irritated. Drexel Athletic Director Eric Zillmer is in the latter camp.

“I think it’s a huge mistake on the universities’ parts. I think it’s a selfish maneuver, and I blame very much the administrators on those campuses,” Zillmer said when asked about his view on realignment as a whole. “I think it’s bad for the sport. I mean, the sport has always been based on traditional rivalries and geographies, and so this whole realignment has put a lot of stress on the conferences.”

Zillmer also disagrees with the way that schools such as George Mason make their decisions in this hectic realignment climate.

“In the past, schools were very careful about moving,” he said. “When we left from America East to the CAA, we studied it, we talked about it, and it was a yearlong process that made logical sense because of what we put into it. Nowadays, schools are literally picking up their tent at night and just leaving.”

It’s an understandable qualm from Zillmer; while there are valid reasons for schools to leave, it seems as if none of those reasons are being exercised in the whirlwind changes taking place today.

Yet it’s hard to blame the other schools for destroying the conference when it truly is their individual choice. Drexel has the same option as Virginia Commonwealth University had last year and George Mason had this year: if the conference’s shape displeases them, Zillmer is able to collaborate with the administration and recommend a move.

But when discussing this idea, Zillmer reinforced his view that conference reinforcement is better than conference realignment.

“I truly believe in making our conference stronger,” Zillmer said. “At some point you feel like you shouldn’t just be a participant or a viewer of a movie but that you’re truly in this conference. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to other constituents and other [athletic directors] about how we can make our conference better.”

Zillmer said he believes strongly both in the conference’s ability to stick together and build the brand and in the teams’ abilities to continue to perform at high levels. He appreciates the rivalries and relationships that have been built between Drexel and other CAA schools, and he doesn’t plan on seeing them go anywhere.

“I am happy in the CAA because it has our longest-time rival in it in Delaware,” a smiling Zillmer said. He explained that, while he understands fans’ disdain for the Blue Hens, he “love[s] Delaware because they’re our oldest rival, and it makes so much geographical sense to stay competitive with each other.”

He also cited this year’s performances by Northeastern University and Towson University, explaining that “[these teams represent] an important northeastern corridor for us; these are really good schools in basketball, and we feel like the best is yet to come from these schools.”

In the hectic hurricane of the realignment era, Zillmer brings a refreshing view to the table. His focus on the well-being of the conference as a whole rather than the individual school’s interests shows that he plans on being a member of a hopefully rejuvenated CAA. After being a Drexel employee for 25 years, he respects the history of this school’s conference involvement, something that he believes administrators at other schools overlook.

“If you study it, you’ll see that new presidents and new athletic directors make many of these moves,” Zillmer said. “The president at VCU had been there for two years before they left for the A-10. There’s a new president at Old Dominion, and now they’ve left for Conference USA. George Mason’s president had been there for two or three months, and now they too have gone to the A-10. What we see is that presidents not only take care of the universities and their pasts, but they now try to do something that is important for the portfolio and looks good.”

Zillmer is more focused on the portfolio of the Colonial Athletic Association than on his own portfolio.

“My primary focus is to work on making the CAA a better league,” he said. “I’d rather make this conference stronger and only consider [the possibility of leaving the CAA] if everything falls apart.”

However, he also realizes the reality of being a 21st century athletic director: Lines of communication are never closed. When asked about other conferences’ interest in Drexel switching membership, Zillmer could offer this: “The only thing I can tell you is that there’s a lot of communication going on all the time. People are talking all the time to you, so I think you can read between the lines there.”

He realizes the stakes of today’s collegiate sports world. He sees the shifts in the CAA’s makeup and what they mean for the conference he wants to remain part of, and he acknowledges that the situation is not perfect.

For any Dragons fans keeping their ears to the ground for realignment rumblings here in University City, it sounds like Zillmer is committed to keeping the Blue and Gold in the CAA.

After all, who’s going to keep those pesky Blue Hens in line?

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[media-credit name="Kameron Walsh" align="alignleft" width="210"] Senior guard Hollie Mershon and the Drexel women’s basketball team begin postseason
play against a weak William & Mary team at the CAA Championships March 15.

Senior guard Hollie Mershon was honored twice on the evening. Mershon was named First Team All-CAA for her efforts. She leads the Dragons this season in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and free-throw percentage this season. This was her second consecutive All-CAA award. She was named Second Team All-CAA in 2012. Mershon led the Dragons in scoring for the first time in her career with 19.4 points per game, which was second in the CAA this season. Mershon was also the recipient of the Dean Ehlers Award, which goes to the student-athlete who “embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with her academic-athletic achievement.” Mershon was not the only Dragon to receive an award on the evening.

Fellow senior Taylor Wootton was named Third Team All-CAA, as she averaged 11 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Freshman Meghan Creighton was also named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. Creighton started all 29 games for the Dragons this season and had a very impressive 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. While the Dragons enjoyed the awards banquet, they were all aware of what is ahead of them as they take on The College of William & Mary March 15 for their first match of the tournament. The Dragons head into the tournament as the No. 3 seed. The two teams seeded ahead of them are the two teams who last defeated the Dragons and who truly stand in their way of a CAA title.

“I feel we are prepared. They’ve put together the effort, they paid attention and stuck together, so you feel good leading up to the match,” head coach Denise Dillon said about her team’s state leading up to the match.

The Dragons know that they can count on two things as they head into the tournament: Mershon and their defense. The defense, anchored by Wootton and fellow senior Renee Johnson-Allen, allowed just 52.3 points per game heading into the CAA Tournament, second in the league and two points better than last year’s squad that set a Drexel program record at 54.3 points allowed per contest. Mershon is the team’s focal point on offense. However, she may be the only key individual whom teams focus on during games, which presents a problem for Dillon and her team.

“It’s really the balanced attack; it can’t come down to Hollie Mershon. That’s not to put pressure on Taylor [Wootton] and Fiona [Flanagan], but you need that balanced attack,” Dillon said.

While Wootton has stepped up her scoring as of late, teams still know that if they can stop Mershon, chances are they will defeat the Dragons. Dillon has continued to stress the need to keep moving the ball and find the right player to make the right plays. Creating more scoring opportunities for players other than Mershon will be the key deciding factor in the Dragons’ chance at a CAA title.

If the Dragons are to win the CAA title, they know the University of Delaware and James Madison University are standing in their way. However, before they think about playing those teams, they must first defeat William & Mary.

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[media-credit name="Kameron Walsh" align="alignleft" width="300"] Freshman guard Meghan Creighton has started all 29 games this season for Drexel. Creighton averages 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 29.3 minutes per game.

First, the No. 18 nationally ranked Blue Hens of the University of Delaware squeezed out a 62-57 victory at home against the Dragons to end their four-game winning streak. The first half was tightly contested between these two top teams. Delaware started the game on an 11-2 run. However, the Dragons fought back thanks to senior Hollie Mershon and freshman Meghan Creighton, who sank a three to make it 11-8. The back-and-forth affair kept going throughout the first half, and the Blue Hens went into the intermission with a slim 26-25 lead.

Coming out of the first half, the Dragons started slow. Delaware went on a 26-15 run midway through the second half to go up to 52-40. At that point Mershon and freshman Rachel Pearson started to heat up. Pearson scored nine points, all of which came within the last six minutes of the game as part of a 17-5 run by the Dragons. Mershon had eight points as well in that stretch. The Dragons continued to fight, and a Mershon three-pointer at the 3:10 mark tied the game at 54-54.

In the teams’ previous matchup, Drexel’s main priority was to contain All-American Elena Delle Donne. On this occasion, however, it was fellow Blue Hen Lauren Carra who helped close out the game for Delaware. Carra hit a three with under two minutes to go to give Delaware the lead. Pearson came back on the other end and hit a three-point shot to tie the game once more. However, Carra went to the free-throw line four times within the final two minutes and hit all four shots. Delle Donne hit a two within the final minute of the game to seal the game for Delaware.

Mershon scored 26 points in the game. It was the most points allowed to a single player by Delaware’s defense in over a calendar year. The key to the game for Delaware was second-chance opportunities. Delaware had 16 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. The Dragons could manage just nine offensive rebounds and five second-chance points.

Drexel looked to conclude its regular-season schedule at home on Senior Night against James Madison University. Unfortunately for the seniors, JMU had other plans for the evening, as they defeated the Dragons 62-53 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. It was an off night shooting for the Dragons, as they only shot 33 percent from the floor the entire game. Aside from Mershon, who had 27 points in the game on 50 percent shooting, no other Dragon could get into a flow and truly have an effect on the game. Despite being down by as many as 14 points in the game, the Dragons, as they have done all season, did not quit.

They fought back and got within six points when the score was 40-34 in the second half. However, the lack of offensive production from other players hurt the Dragons’ ability to complete the comeback. Senior Taylor Wootton recorded 12 points and two blocks in the game.

“If we are going to rely on [Mershon], then the other team’s mentality is that one player can’t beat us,” head coach Denise Dillon said of the Dragons’ stagnant offense.

Despite losing the game that locked up the No. 2 seed in the CAA Tournament, for JMU, Dillon said she still believes this team can go all the way, especially because of the way it has competed in every game.

Dillon credited the competitive nature of the team to her four seniors: Mershon, Wootton, Renee Johnson-Allen and Nicki Jones.

“This group of seniors is by far the most special group. They bought in from day 1, have given everything to this University, and we like to see them succeed and do well,” Dillon said about her senior class of players.

The Dragons will be preparing for the postseason as the CAA Tournament starts March 15 against The College of William & Mary.

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[media-credit name="Khoi Tran" align="alignleft" width="300"] Senior forward Taylor Wootton hopes to slow down Delaware senior forward Elena Delle Donne when Drexel travels to Newark, Del., to take on the Blue Hens March 3. The Dragons will look to extend their win streak to five games.

Head coach Denise Dillon and her team completed their three-game homestand by defeating The College of William & Mary 62-47 to earn their third consecutive victory. Freshman Meghan Creighton had an offensive explosion for the Dragons, as she led the team with a career-high 20 points. Along with her 20 points, Creighton added three rebounds and two assists. Creighton’s career night was the most points by a Drexel freshman since 2007, when Gabriela Marginean accomplished that feat eight times during the season. Dillon expected such a performance from her freshman guard and knows she has more of that in her.

“It’s big for us to have her as a scoring threat. I know she has the ability, but it’s a matter of confidence,” Dillon added.

Senior Renee Johnson-Allen, who was inserted into the starting lineup when fellow senior Nicki Jones was lost due to injury, grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds.

“Renee is 5 foot 6, and she plays like she is 6 foot 6. What she did rebounding is tremendous,” Dillon said of her senior guard.

“Renee is awesome. She has adjusted really well being inserted to the starting lineup, and what she did rebounding was amazing,” Creighton, who also earned her the CAA Rookie of the Week award, said.

Along with the strong performance from Johnson-Allen and Creighton, senior forward Taylor Wootton added 10 points and six rebounds. Six of her 10 points came down the stretch of the game and were crucial in putting the game away for the Dragons as they finished their homestand on a high note.

In order to earn their fourth straight victory, the Dragons continued to get a strong performance from the supporting cast of their team. Johnson-Allen continued her recent string of excellent performances by earning her first career double-double. Johnson-Allen scored 10 points and added another 12 rebounds. She now has 24 rebounds in the past two games, more than any other Dragon. Senior guard Hollie Mershon led all scorers with 23 points. Creighton added 12 points, including four of seven from three-point range.

The Dragons earned a 58-49 victory over Georgia State University in what will be their last meeting as CAA foes. Georgia State will be leaving the conference after this season. The 20th victory of the season for the Dragons marked the fourth time the program has reached that mark. Their victory against Georgia State also marked the ninth road victory of the season, which ties the school record. The Dragons will have an opportunity to break that record when they travel to Newark and take on Delaware.

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[media-credit name="Kameron Walsh" align="alignleft" width="200"] Freshman shooting guard Meghan Creighton is guarded closely by a UNCW defender in the Dragons’ 59-47 victory over the Seahawks Feb. 19 at the DAC.

Beginning the first of three consecutive home games, Dillon had a different lineup for the first time in conference play. Senior guard Renee Johnson-Allen was inserted into the lineup in the game against the University of North Carolina Wilmington at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The first half was adjustment for the Dragons, as they struggled to find their offensive rhythm, which is to be expected when inserting a new starter into the lineup. Drexel led by one point at the end of the first half 18-17. However, in the second half, fellow seniors Taylor Wootton and Hollie Mershon led the charge for the Dragons as they pulled away from the Seahawks. Wootton scored 19 of her 25 points in the second half. Coming into her senior season, Wootton had only one career 20-point game. This season she has increased that total to six. She also had five steals against UNCW. Mershon added 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Her four assists gave her 302 for her career. She is the ninth player in Drexel women’s basketball history to have over 300 assists.

Dillon was impressed with her team’s ability to battle through their struggles.

“I was impressed with our commitment to playing 40 minutes and grinding out even though our offense wasn’t at our best,” Dillon said.

Despite the loss of Jones, Dillon still believes her team can compete and reach its ultimate goal of winning the CAA Championship.

“We believe we are a team that can beat everyone. The other players are more capable of making things happen,” she said of having other players step up.

Coming off the victory against UNCW, the Dragons faced George Mason University at the DAC,defeating the Patriots 57-46. This marked the second straight victory for the Dragons at home. Mershon led the charge for Dragons, scoring 25 points. Mershon was on fire from the start of the game, scoring 18 points in the first half. Mershon’s hot first half allowed the Dragons to build a 33-19 first-half lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Along with Mershon’s 25, six other Dragons scored in the game. Wootton chipped in eight points, and freshman Meghan Creighton and junior Fiona Flanagan had six points each. While the Patriots tried to mount a second-half comeback, they couldn’t crack the Dragons’ excellent team defense, which forced 13 turnovers. The defense was led by Johnson-Allen, who started her second consecutive game. She held opposing point guard Rahneeka Saunders to only four points.

Two out of their three games in this homestand have resulted in victories, and Dillon couldn’t stress the importance of the homestand enough.

“It’s a perfect time for us to have these home games, rebounding from losing one of your key starters. We need to finish on a stretch. These are the games we have to take care of,” Dillon said.

The goal for the Dragons during these last few games is to position themselves as a top-three seed for the upcoming CAA Tournament. The upcoming game against The College of William & Mary will be another step in their push toward the postseason.

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[media-credit name="Ajon Brodie" align="alignleft" width="300"] Senior guard Hollie Mershon drives to the net against Old Dominion University. The
Dragons defeated Old Dominion 64-50 at the DaC.

The Dragons lost 53-50 Jan. 31 to Old Dominion in a game they thought they should have won. Feb. 10 saw the Dragons not only get off to a fast start, but they were able to maintain a lead and defeat ODU at the Daskalakis Athletic Center by a resounding 64-50 score.

It was the seniors who carried the team in this game, led by Hollie Mershon, Nicki Jones and Taylor Wootton. Mershon had 19 points, to lead all scorers, along with six assists and seven rebounds. Jones had an impressive offensive night, adding 15 points, but as usual was a defensive presence with three blocks and five rebounds. Taylor Wootton, who also played a great game defensively, added 12 points to go along with five rebounds.

The key to the game was sharing the basketball, as 17 of the 25 field goals made by the Dragons were assisted. But it was the Dragons’ starting five that led the way all through the match, as they scored 59 of Drexel’s 64 points. Freshman Meghan Creighton added seven points, while junior Fiona Flanagan chipped in with six.

Getting back to their winning ways was key for the Dragons because it shows that the adjustments they have been making throughout the season to get better have been working. Early on, the team relied heavily on Mershon to carry the scoring load. Lately, however, it’s been an all-around team effort as evidenced by this game.

“To get back on a winning streak, we have been really focusing on allowing our offense to create scoring opportunities. We’ve been working on running it efficiently. It has also been important that the five players out on the court are all capable of scoring at any given time. We have stayed focused on the defensive end and limited second-chance opportunities for our opponents,” Mershon said of their latest winning streak.

While the Dragons got their revenge against Old Dominion earlier in the week, Hofstra also got a little bit of revenge as well. It was a poor offensive night for the Dragons, as they shot 17 percent from the field in the first half and 24 percent as a team for the whole game. Mershon led the way again for the Dragons with 12 points, and Wootton poured in 10.

Dillon’s team kept itself in the game thanks to its suffocating defense. They pressured Hofstra into 20 turnovers. Unfortunately, they could not capitalize on those turnovers. The Dragons scored just 11 points off the 20 turnovers. This game, while damaging for the Dragons, helps them prepare for their upcoming three-game homestand at the DAC. Next is a game Feb. 19 against the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The Dragons already defeated UNCW earlier in the season 64-51.

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[media-credit name="Ajon Brodie" align="alignleft" width="300"] Senior guard Renee Johnson-Allen lays the ball in during a game against georgia State
Feb. 3 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The Dragons would dominate in a 79-55 win.

It was an all-around effort for the Dragons as they defeated Georgia State 79-55 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Head coach Denise Dillon received her usual stellar performances from seniors Hollie Mershon and Taylor Wootton, who scored 25 and 20 points, respectively. However, it was the contribution from all 10 players who saw the court that solidified the win.

Dillon received balanced scoring from her team, as all 10 players scored in the game. As a result of the team effort, the Dragons shot 52.6 percent from the field in the game. The first half was a back-and-forth affair by two teams fighting for positioning within the Colonial Athletic Association. Drexel held a narrow 33-31 lead at the end of the first half. However, the Dragons shut down Georgia State in the second half on defense and held them to only 24 points, while the offense burst out for 46 points in that half. Senior forward Nicki Jones added eight points and four rebounds while junior forward Abby Reddick chipped in with six points, three rebounds and two assists. The Dragons shot 62 percent from the field during the second half to pull away from the Panthers.

After dispatching Georgia State at home, the Dragons went to Towson and blew past the Tigers for their 10th road victory of the season. The 10 road wins set a program record for the Dragons. Six players scored at least six points for the Dragons, as Coach Dillon received yet another balanced scoring effort from her team. Mershon led the Dragons again in scoring with 19 points.

The defense set the tempo from the start by not allowing a field goal for the first 6:27 of the game. Towson’s leading scorer, Tanisha McTiller, the conference’s second-leading scorer behind Mershon, couldn’t do much against the stifling Dragons defense. McTiller went 1-9 from the floor and finished with just 14 points. Other Dragons that contributed included senior guard Renee Johnson-Allen, who finished with six points and a game-high five rebounds; and junior forward Tory Thierolf, who set a career high with nine points.

Mershon, with her 19 points, moved up to to 12th on the Dragons’ all-time scoring list with 1,256 career points. The Dragons will receive a much-needed five-day break after playing two games in three days. They will return to the court and host Old Dominion University Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m.

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[media-credit name="Aditya Kothiwal" align="alignleft" width="300"] Senior guard Hollie Mershon cuts past a defender in a recent game at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Mershon and the Dragons have hit a tough stretch in their schedule recently with back-to-back losses to CAA opponents, Delaware and Old Dominion.

Heading into the match against the Blue Hens of Delaware, both teams were undefeated in conference play, Drexel at 6-0 and Delaware at 5-0. Both teams had player-of-the-year candidates in Drexel senior Hollie Mershon and Delaware junior Elena Delle Donne. It was always going to be a hard-fought battle; Drexel vs. Delaware matches are always nail-biters.

Mershon continued to display why she is an All-CAA selection by scoring 17 points in the 65-56 loss. The Dragons found some timely scoring from their two freshmen guards. Freshman Meghan Creighton scored the first points in the game for the Dragons by nailing a three at the start. She finished with eight points and four rebounds. Fellow freshman guard Rachel Pearson hit back-to-back threes toward the end of the first half to put the Dragons up briefly.

Delaware, however, led by Delle Donne, pulled away from Drexel in the final two minutes thanks to an 8-0 run. In the end it was a fairly even game all the way through. However, Delaware excelled on second-chance points, outscoring Drexel 22-10 in that category.

“Down the stretch we had some crucial possessions we didn’t take advantage of,” Drexel head coach Denise Dillon said. “We had some shots that didn’t fall for us.”

Despite the loss, there was still plenty of optimism in the minds of the women’s team.

“I still think we are the best team in the conference,” Mershon said after the match.

The Dragons looked to get back to their winning ways against Old Dominion, but that proved to be another difficult game. The Dragons found themselves down by double digits again and simply couldn’t climb out of that hole as they had done earlier in the season.

It was a tale of two halves for the Dragons. The first half saw them shoot 21 percent from the field and connect on 3 of 12 three-pointers. While they played excellent defense during the game — the defense didn’t allow a field goal in seven and a half minutes — the offense was too inconsistent. Mershon scored 22 points, her ninth 20-point game of the season, but no other Dragon scored in double digits. Senior Taylor Wootton added seven points and six rebounds.

Drexel made a run late and was up 47-46 thanks to two Mershon free throws. However, Jamie Cook of ODU hit a three-pointer on the next possession. The Monarchs never looked back. It came down to a possession game at the end — whoever had the ball last was going to be victorious. Unfortunately, the Dragons couldn’t get one more possession to tie the game and fell 53-50.

The Dragons will be back at the DAC Feb. 3 to take on Georgia State University. A victory would break their two-game losing streak and put them back in the hunt for a CAA title.

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[media-credit name="Ken Chaney" align="alignleft" width="199"] Senior guard Hollie Mershon attempts a free throw in a City Six matchup against Saint
Joseph’s University at the DAC Nov. 14. The Hawks would go on to win 45-47.

The previous two games for the Dragons show that they are ready to compete against the defending CAA champions. The Dragons defeated The College of William & Mary 58-46 Jan. 20 thanks to a dominating performance from their frontcourt. Seniors Taylor Wootton and Nicki Jones combined for 37 points and nine rebounds. Wootton, who was named the CAA co-Player of the Week, scored 22 points, two points shy of her career high 24, which she set in the previous match against Hofstra University. Jones had her second-best scoring performance of the season with 15 points, but what was more impressive was that she was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field.

Despite a strong performance from the team, Dillon was worried about her team’s recent first-half performances.

“We haven’t played a full two halves yet as a team. I would like to see them play two strong halves,” Dillon said about falling behind in the first half of consecutive games.

The Dragons heard their coach’s message loud and clear. They put together a performance in their next match against Northeastern University that their coach would be proud of. The Dragons defeated Northeastern 85-73 to earn Dillon her 100th career CAA victory. She becomes just the fifth women’s basketball coach in CAA history to achieve such a mark.

“It’s a nice honor to have, but it’s the players who have done this. The teams that we have had are the reason for the success I’ve had,” Dillon said.

The records didn’t stop there. Along with earning her 100th career CAA victory, the win against Northeastern marked the first time the Dragons have gone 6-0 in conference play. The victory was led by outstanding performances from senior Hollie Mershon and Wootton. Mershon was on fire from the start and had a career-high 33 points, shooting 12 of 16 and 4 of 5 from three-point range. Wootton, who scored over 22 points for the third consecutive game, had a career-high 26 points in the game. This marked the first time since 2010 that two Dragons scored more than 25 points in a game.

The Dragons shot 30-49, 61 percent, from the field, including a red-hot 7 of 8 from three-point range. However, it was not all offense in the match. Jones was a strong defensive force in the first half, as she had two blocks and seven deflected passes that led to turnovers.

This was a performance that Dillon didn’t see coming. Heading into the game, Northeastern was the highest-scoring team in the CAA. However, despite the Huskies scoring five points more than their season average, the Dragons still defeated them by 12 points. The Dragons needed to have a strong effort defensively to defeat Northeastern, but an offensive outburst such as this is one that no one saw coming.

“We believe in each other; this game speaks to our work ethic. We take each game seriously, and we recognize the importance of each game,” junior Fiona Flanagan said of her team’s recent strong performances.

“Coach [Dillon] is awesomeness; it means a lot to us to help her reach that goal,” Flanagan continued.

In order to improve to 7-0, the Dragons will need to pass their toughest test of the season against the defending CAA champions, the Blue Hens of Delaware.

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[media-credit name="Aditya Kothiwal" align="alignleft" width="200"] After a great week of basketball in which she led the Dragons to two important wins over conference opponents, Taylor Wootton was
named a CLeAR player of the week for the fi rst time in her collegiate career. Wootton scored 24 and 22 points in last week’s games.

Wootton, who shares the honors with men’s guard Frantz Massenat, recorded back-to-back 20-plus-point scoring efforts in the Dragons’ latest wins. The two games each accounted for career highs, as she scored 24 and 22 points in the games, respectively, topping her previous personal high of 20 points from last season.

This was Wootton’s first time being recognized as a CLEAR Athlete of the Week; it’s an award that, while it surprised her, also made her feel rewarded.

“It was definitely a good feeling; I had never gotten that award before,” Wootton said. “So it was just really surprising to me.”

Her scoring surge came at quite the opportune time for the Dragons. In the Jan. 17 game, Drexel was trailing by 15 points at halftime. Wootton led the comeback, dropping 15 points in the second half alone, including six straight to open the half, getting things rolling for the Dragons.

“We had to step up because we struggled in the first half, not only me,” Wootton said. “All my teammates stepped up, and they gave us open shots and we made them.”

Following the 59-53 win against Hofstra, Wootton took more than just her hot shooting on the road with her to William & Mary. The forward followed up her 24-point effort with 22 more points but also chipped in six steals, a high mark for any Dragon this season. Her scoring and defense keyed the 58-46 road victory.

Shooting more has been something Wootton’s coaches have been pushing for her to do lately. Wootton attempted 37 shots in the two games combined, and before then she had not attempted more than 10 in any single game. She has rewarded her coaches and showed they had good reason for wanting her to shoot more.

“My coaches always tell me, ‘Shoot the ball,’ and I got open shots, and the ball just went in,” she said.

The 46 points allowed were tied for the least amount allowed by Drexel to a CAA opponent this year. The defensive aspect of her big game is what makes Wootton prouder.

“Probably the steals [more than the points],” she said. “I take pride in my defense, so I think defense is the No. 1 thing.”

The defense of the Dragons has been effective since the CAA schedule began. Drexel has raced out to a 5-0 conference record, and in those five games they have held their CAA opponents to only 50 points per game.

They continue to try and build on the progress they made in the conference last year when they played in the championship game. This time the players look to get over the hump.

“I think we just want to get back to where we were last year, a conference tournament championship,” Wootton said.

They seem to be on the right track, and everything is starting to click at once, but Wootton said just a few minor things need to be adjusted for them to really be firing on all cylinders.

“I think we’re close, but there’s still a lot of things we need to work on,” she said.

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Coming off a thrilling last-minute victory Jan. 10 at James Madison University, the Dragons traveled to North Carolina to face the 3-11 Seahawks.

Senior Hollie Mershon led the charge once again for the Dragons, pouring in 26 points. After the Dragons went up 9-8 thanks to a Mershon three-pointer, the Dragons never let go of the lead. Fellow seniors Nicki Jones and Taylor Wootton also contributed to the team’s performance with 12 and eight points, respectively. Despite the Dragons obtaining a 28-20 lead, UNCW continued to fight hard and did not go down easily.

“They are one of those teams while they don’t look good on paper, and as a coach you are worried about it because they are going to fight hard,” Drexel head coach Denise Dillon said of UNCW.

UNCW did just that, and with four minutes remaining they clawed back within four. However, Dillon’s team responded to the challenge and continued to play well on both ends of the court to stave off a late UNCW comeback. In the game, junior Fiona Flanagan added eight points and four assists while senior Renee Johnson-Allen added a career-high eight assists to go along with six points.

“She handles it very well. She wants the role of leading the team and doing whatever is necessary to win,” Dillon said.

The next test came Jan. 17 against Hofstra University at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Both schools entered the game with a perfect 3-0 mark in conference play. Hofstra had won its last three meetings against Drexel, and this was a match Dillon predicted would be a test for her team.

“The Hofstra game is a huge game. It’s a team we have struggled against in the past couple of years. We have to do our best to control the game, and we should come out well,” Dillon said.

The Pride came to play and piled up a 15-point lead on Drexel. However, Dillon’s team held strong and overcame the deficit thanks to a second-half fury led by Wootton, Jones, Johnson-Allen and Flanagan.

In the first half, the Dragons couldn’t buy a basket. They shot 26 percent from the field and 11 percent from the three-point line. Drexel’s poor shooting and Hofstra’s all-around strong play led to the Dragons being down 31-16 at the half.

The second half was a completely different story for the Dragons. They came out firing on all cylinders. Wootton, who had 24 points in the game, scored 16 of those points in the second half. Flanagan scored all 10 of her points in the second half and hit back-to-back three-pointers to pull Drexel ahead by one with less that four minutes remaining. Jones was a force throughout the game with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. This was a total team effort from the Dragons despite an off night by Mershon. This game was crucial for the Dragons because it put them into sole possession of first place in the CAA at 4-0. The Dragons will now look to start 5-0 in conference play for the second time in school history when they visit The College of William & Mary Jan. 20.

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Senior guard Hollie Mershon splits the Hofstra University defense in Drexel’s 59-53 win Jan. 17 at the DAC. Although Mershon scored only nine points in the game, she still leads the Colonial Athletic Association in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game.

Philadelphia’s reputation this basketball season has been boosted by the fantastic play of a fourth-year guard. This guard is averaging just under 20 points per game and has been the cornerstone of the team’s offense, gaining national attention from peers and developing quite the well-rounded game.

Did you guess Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ers?

Take a look in University City, actually. There’s a Drexel student named Hollie Mershon you might want to get acquainted with.

This week, Mershon was named co-Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week for the second time this season. Her first award came the week of Nov. 12, highlighting the consistency she has demonstrated all season as she continues a career year in her final campaign for the Dragons.

How consistent has her dominance been of late?

Mershon has averaged 22.0 points per game during conference play, 20 or more in five of the Dragons’ last six games, and 18.4 per game this season on the whole thus far.

She has been integral to Drexel starting CAA play 3-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season, a feat that has the team tied for first in the conference with the University of Delaware.

Mershon’s scoring prowess has been key lately. In a tense contest Jan. 10 against James Madison University, she scored 17 points in the second half, including the two game-winning free throws with four seconds remaining. The Dragons had been down by as many as 15 points in the first half, but that didn’t matter to Mershon.

She averages 32.6 minutes per game, and while scoring 9.6 more points per game than any other player on the team, she has led the Dragons to an exceptional 10-4 record.

Which leads to the question: Is she the most valuable player in the CAA? It’s entirely possible.

It’s difficult to make an argument against the other co-Player of the Week, Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, being the most talented player in the conference when she averages 23.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. She is the Blue Hens’ superstar — the reason they have garnered so much national attention these last few years. She was even named the National Player of the Year last season.

But in terms of the CAA MVP, there are few players who mean more to their team than Mershon. For example, Delle Donne has two other players on her team averaging 9.4 points or better per game to back up her scoring, while Mershon doesn’t have any teammates averaging over 9.4 points per game. While her team has certainly backed her up when necessary, Mershon has been forced to create more for herself than Delle Donne ever has to.

Old Dominion University, another elite team in the conference, has two players averaging double-digit points per game, but neither Jackie Cook nor Shae Kelley is a singular workhorse for the Monarchs, eliminating both from contention for being the most valuable in the CAA. And Northeastern University bears a three-pronged offensive attack with a trio of double-digit scorers, only furthering the argument for Mershon.

The discussion comes down to Mershon and Delle Donne, two players who play very different games yet have similar statistics. Delle Donne averages 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game better than Mershon, but her support scoring is far greater.

Without Mershon as their leader, the Dragons would be lost in the CAA’s sea of competition. With their captain, it feels like she and this team are ready to do some special things.

The post Mershon earns co-CAA Player of the Week honors appeared first on The Triangle.

[/media-credit] Senior guard Hollie Mershon dribbles by a defender in a contest against the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks
Nov. 14. The Dragons fell to their city rival 47-45 despite Mershon’s 19 points and 4 rebounds.

Following the match against Penn, the Dragons had another home match against American University Dec. 28. The closely contested match went in favor of American, as the Dragons couldn’t close the gap of American’s early lead. Senior Hollie Mershon had an outstanding game against American, recording a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The problem for Dillon’s team against American was that Mershon was the only scorer in double digits. The Dragons had a hard time getting scoring from other outlets. Freshman Rachel Pearson and senior Taylor Wootton were the next two top scorers, with nine and eight points, respectively.

Following the loss to American, the Dragons went on the road to Princeton, N.J., to face the Tigers of Princeton University. This would be the Dragons’ final regular-season out-of-conference game. The Dragons were done in by uncharacteristic turnovers and fell to the Tigers 74-59 on New Year’s Eve.

“We made mistakes in the games against American and Princeton that we weren’t accustomed to making early on in the season,” Dillon said.

Mershon led the Dragons again with 14 points, while freshman Meghan Creighton chipped in 11 points. Senior Nicki Jones had eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks. The Tigers never trailed in the game. At one stretch the Dragons had nine consecutive turnovers, which fueled a 9-0 run by Princeton. That run allowed Princeton to take a 22-12 advantage and never look back. The loss to Princeton dropped the women’s team to 7-4 on the young season and closed the out-of-conference portion of the schedule.

“The out-of-conference schedule helped us a lot because it shows we can play against top-25 teams, and if we play them well then we should play every team the way we play [the University of South Carolina],” Wootton said about the importance of their out-of-conference schedule.

The Dragons returned to the DAC Jan. 6 for their CAA opener against Towson University. Dillon saw an all-around performance from her team, as everyone contributed to the 76-55 victory. Mershon led the team with 20 points, but it was Wootton who was a big presence for the Dragons throughout the game. Wootton scored six of the Dragons’ first 11 points and finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Junior Fiona Flanagan added 13 points, while Creighton had a career-high seven assists in her first CAA game.

The game was special to the Dragons because they honored the victims of the shooting that took place in Newtown, Conn., at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Drexel players wore T-shirts that said “Sandy Hook” for warm-ups and throughout the game.

Opening up the CAA schedule with a win was a huge boost for a team that had lost two consecutive games. It also showed Dillon what her team is capable of when everyone is contributing. However, Dillon also knows that they will face tougher teams on the schedule, and her team still has to improve.

“Rebounding is our No. 1 thing we have to improve. We don’t need to outrebound everyone, but we need to get our offensive rebounds and not let teams get second chances,” Dillon said.

The Drexel women heeded their coach’s advice in the next game at James Madison University Jan. 10. Rebounding was a key factor in the Dragons’ ability to sneak out a 48-46 victory in Harrisonburg, Va. Down by nine at the half, Mershon led the Dragons to a comeback victory. Mershon scored 17 of her game-high 20 points in the second half. Senior Renee Johnson-Allen had nine points and a career-high eleven rebounds in the victory. The Dragons never led in the game until Mershon sank two crucial free throws with four seconds remaining in the game to give the Dragons their only lead of the game. In order to get shoot the free throws, Jones grabbed an offensive rebound on which she was fouled.

The ability to grab a rebound at a crucial time in the game is what Dillon has been expecting from this team. Against the Dukes, the Dragons proved they were tough enough to make the plays that count when it matters. The victory moved the Dragons to 2-0 within the CAA for the first time since 2009. The Dragons will look for their third consecutive victory against the University of North Carolina Wilmington on Sunday in Wilmington, N.C.

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[/media-credit] Senior forward Nicki Jones and the Dragons are off to a hot start this season, setting themselves up to
make a late season run at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association standings.

If so, you’re probably quite disappointed at this point. But pout not, for the cream of the Colonial Athletic Association crop this winter can still be found at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. In case you have yet to notice, the women’s basketball team is racking up quite the season.

Last year’s women’s team went to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament, finished third in the conference and reached the CAA Finals, which is why it’s so amazing that, despite losing two of their three top scorers from last season, this year’s Dragons are even better.

And yet last year’s squad didn’t get its eighth win of the season until Jan. 15 and was 8-7 at that point. This year’s squad notched its eighth win of the season Jan. 6, giving the Dragons a record of 9-4.

The team is led by senior guard Hollie Mershon, who is currently averaging 17.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, more than double any other player on the team and good enough to be one of the 60 highest scorers in the country.

But there’s much more to the team than Mershon; it also features solid depth, with five players averaging at least five points per game.

Taylor Wootton and Nicki Jones have provided solid scoring support for the Dragons, averaging 8.8 and 8.0 points per game, respectively. Jones has also added 1.7 blocks per game, putting her in the top 75 in the country, while Wootton’s 52.1 percent field goal percentage is tied for 35th in the country.

The Dragons looked great during the out-of-conference portion of their schedule, racking up two tournament wins and displaying absolutely stifling defense. As Mershon said in a Triangle Senior Spotlight earlier this season, the pride of the team is its defense, and it shows. Over the first 12 games of the season, the Dragons have scored nearly 10 more points per game than their opponents, with seven of their eight wins coming by double digits.

Looking back, the single-digit victory over La Salle University isn’t encouraging, seeing as the Explorers sit at a lowly 4-11 so far this season. However, the fact of the matter is that they won the game, and they’ve been doing it all season long.

Two games into conference play, the Dragons are tied with Northeastern University for the third-best overall record in the conference at 9-4. Old Dominion University is currently atop the conference at 11-3, with two of its three losses coming against ranked teams and the third coming against a 9-5 University of Pittsburgh team that is definitely a quality opponent. The University of Delaware also sits ahead of the third-place teams at 10-3, led by All-American senior Elena Delle Donne, who led the country in scoring last year.

It’s safe to say that the Dragons have their work cut out for them as the season progresses. The team won’t have any throwaway games that they can tune out; every win will count in the conference race.

Their in-conference schedule started by easing them into the competition with their victory over Towson University Jan. 6, a dramatic two-point win at James Madison University Jan. 10 and a matchup against the 2-11 University of North Carolina Wilmington Jan. 13.

The true defining period of the Dragons’ season will come in a four-game stretch from Jan. 24 through Feb. 3. In those four games the Dragons will play, in succession, the other four teams in the top five of the conference. This stretch, leaving just nine games in the season afterward, will decide whether or not the team participates in the stretch run toward the regular-season title and a high seeding in the CAA Tournament.

If Mershon continues to perform at the level that she’s displayed thus far this season, the Dragons have the potential to go places.

The biggest thing that she has to try and improve is her efficiency. While she’s knocking down foul shots with 86.2 percent ease, her field-goal percentage is a little low for a leading scorer. That’s not to say 41.2 percent is horrible, but if she can lift it as the season goes on, especially during the decisive four-game stretch at the end of January, it would help the Dragons’ chances immensely.

That would be great because before the season started, this campus wanted a conference championship. And now, with this team, they have a chance to get one.

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[/media-credit] Senior guard Hollie Mershon runs alongside a defender in the Dragons’ game against St. Joseph’s University at the Daskalakis Athletic Center Nov. 14. Drexel would go on to lose the game 47-45 despite 19 points from Mershon.

In their first game against the University of Rhode Island, the Dragons continued to display their trademark stifling defense. Senior Taylor Wootton led the Dragons with 16 points and three assists. However, it was offensive contributions from unlikely sources that helped put Drexel over the top against Rhode Island. Senior Renee Johnson-Allen had her first double-digit night in a Drexel uniform, scoring 11 points to go along with her usual stellar defense. Freshman Meghan Creighton also had her first double-digit night for the Dragons with 13 points. Creighton was 3-5 from three-point range and didn’t miss any of her four free throws. The offensive contribution of those three players, along with nine points by senior guard Hollie Mershon, was enough for the Dragons to earn a grind-out 55-43 victory against Rhode Island. The host team, the University of Vermont, awaited the Dragons in the finals of the TD Bank Classic.

Coming into the game against Vermont, a victory would tie the 2010-11 Dragons for the best eight-game start to any season. The Dragons received an outstanding game from senior Nicki Jones and another all-around performance from Creighton en route to defeating Vermont 66-49. The victory against Vermont moved the Dragons to 5-1 in their last 6 games and earned them their second tournament victory of the season.

The Dragons’ stifling defense was on full display as they allowed only 11 points in the first half. The Dragons jumped on Vermont early, opening the game on a 20-2 run, and they never looked back. Jones, whom Dillon praised for her efforts all season, was 7-10 from the field in the first half. She finished the game 10-14 from the field with 20 points and nine rebounds. Not only did Jones contribute on the offensive end, but she also had a great defensive game. Her defensive play all season has been exceptional, and it was no different against UVM. Jones had four steals and two blocks. Her presence was key in disrupting the offensive flow of the Rhode Island Catamounts. Along with Jones’ contributions, Creighton continued her stellar three-point shooting display by going 4-4 from behind the arc and finishing with 14 points. While Jones was heating up the score sheet, Mershon continued to display her all-around game by scoring nine points, grabbing nine rebounds and a career-high six assists.

Dillon’s school record-setting Drexel defense is seemingly better than last year’s, allowing an average of 46 points over the past six games. Dillon credited the experience and continuity of her key players for their team’s stellar defensive performances.

“Obviously with some key returning players like Taylor Wootton, Fiona Flanagan, Nicki Jones and Renee [Johnson-Allen], we know that we will always have great defensive performances,” Dillon said.

“It’s just teamwork, knowing how to work together as a team and knowing how to enhance each other’s strengths and build upon them,” Johnson-Allen said about the team’s ability to shut down opponents. “For us to win games we need to listen to what the coaches are saying and work together as a team. If we do that, we think we are capable of winning every game.”

The victory over Vermont was the Dragons’ fifth in six games. Their only loss was to a nationally ranked South Carolina team.

“I think this run shows we are ready and confident in any game we go into,” Dillon said of her team’s hot start to the season.

The women’s team has a break of nearly three weeks until their next game, and the rest is much needed, especially with some starters having nagging injuries. However, the next time they take the court, it will be against the crosstown rival University of Pennsylvania Dec. 21 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Not only is this a rivalry game, but a win against the Quakers would boost the Dragons’ out-of-conference record and improve their chances for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Along with an at-large bid in mind, the Dragons would also like a victory against Penn to prepare for the rigorous CAA conference play ahead.

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[/media-credit] Meghan Creighton, a freshman guard on the women’s basketball team, has been impressing spectators with her and her fellow freshmen’s ability to fill the shoes of last year’s graduates.

While they still had solid pieces in place, such as Preseason All-CAA selection Hollie Mershon, they still needed depth and players around her. Assistant coach Melissa Dunne said before the season that the staff was looking for the incoming freshman class to “come in and make a smooth transition.” The results have been encouraging thus far.

Drexel continued its strong start to the season Dec. 1 with a 66-49 victory against the University of Vermont, bringing the Dragons’ record to 6-2. The game featured a perfect day from the floor from one of those freshmen, Meghan Creighton. The guard shot 4-4 in the game, all from three-point range, and chipped in two free throws for a 14-point game.

It was the second consecutive game the freshman had a double-digit scoring performance, in a weekend that saw the team sweep games against the University of Rhode Island and the University of Vermont, who was playing on its home floor. With the tremendous weekend, she was named the CAA Rookie of the Week.

She is enjoying her first few games, and it would seem as if she made the transition successfully.

“It’s fun,” Creighton said. “It’s definitely an adjustment, but it’s been a good adjustment, and I like it so far a lot.”

It is something Creighton and the three other freshmen — Rachel Pearson, Carrie Alexander and Pandora Wilson — knew before stepping on the court. The staff and their teammates have talked to them about the shoes they had to fill.

Lost between the outgoing class and the incoming class of basketball players, though, are the upperclassmen who were already in place.

“We’ve talked a lot about coming in, and obviously we have big shoes to fill, but I think the seniors this year have done a great job of being leaders,” Creighton said. “So I think their good leadership has made the transition easier because you always have someone to look up to and to look to.”

While Creighton may be looking up to them, the coaching staff and team are relying pretty heavily on her. She has started each of Drexel’s eight games, but that only begins to describe how crucial she has been to the team. The freshman has played more minutes than everyone on the team except Mershon.

Creighton says she enjoys the role and having an extra reliance on her, and she attributes much of that to the coaching staff. She has rewarded the staff for the decision to start her from day 1.

In eight games, she has averaged seven points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She has been outstanding in terms of shooting, going 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and over 93 percent on free throws. She has not missed a shot at the charity stripe in nearly a month, since the season’s first game, in which she had her only miss of the season thus far.

For a freshman, she is not making a ton of mistakes, only committing seven turnovers all season. When the occasional mistake does happen, though, she is all ears, learning about it from the coaches.

“That’s the great thing about this coaching staff,” she said. “You make mistakes, but [it’s not like] you make a mistake and you sit on the bench the rest of the game. You make mistakes, and they teach you.”

Their positive approach to molding Creighton and her teammates is something she appreciates.

“So I think that being a freshman, and obviously making mistakes throughout the game, it’s nice to know that when you make a mistake in the game, you can learn from it and are not just going to get yelled at and screamed at,” she explained. “For every negative thing you do, they’re going to tell you something positive, which I think is good.”

A contributing factor to her immediate success at the collegiate level may be the tremendous pedigree she brings with her. Having played at Archbishop Carroll High School as a native of West Chester, Pa., she was a two-time state champion and three-time Catholic League champ. Her father, Chuck, played basketball himself at Widener University, and her three older brothers — Chris, Ryan and Mike — have all played Division I lacrosse at Villanova University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Notre Dame, respectively.

The way things would work out, she actually can easily be reminded of her background while on the court and around the team. Creighton was high school teammates with Mershon and Pearson at Carroll. She and Pearson, who, as it happens, won CAA Rookie of the Week honors last week, have been playing together since fourth grade.

“It’s fun,” she said. “We didn’t come here planning on doing it together as a package deal or anything, but I’m glad it worked out this way because it’s very fun to keep playing with her.”

Having played together for so long, people familiar with the two were curious if they were a duo that required a “package deal,” needing to be together when committing to schools. They went through the process separately but reached the finish line with Drexel at the top of each of their lists.

Pearson, who, according to Creighton, actually committed to Drexel one day before her, was named the week’s top rookie of the CAA a week before Creighton. It’s funny how things turn out, and Creighton is very proud of her teammate and thought it was “pretty cool” that they won it in consecutive weeks.

With Pearson, in addition to Alexander and Wilson, the quartet has become a close group, and they are constantly supporting each other. They are all going through the same experiences for the first time together, after all.

“I think we’re pretty closely knit together as freshmen because we all live together, we do experience things together, because we’re all experiencing all the changes at the same time, but we all lead in different ways,” Creighton said.

That togetherness and close nature is her favorite thing about playing at the collegiate level, at Drexel and specifically with her teammates.

“The team atmosphere [is my favorite aspect of it],” Creighton said. “You’re with [your teammates] a lot, on the road or at practice with them every day. Everyone is there to pick each other up, and I really enjoy the family atmosphere of the team.”

Although she may look up to the upperclassmen now, she may very soon be a leader of the team herself. She has clearly separated herself from the other freshmen and has been a player upon whom head coach Denise Dillon has relied heavily, evidenced by her high minutes total and being a starter since game 1.

For now, she is continuing to make those strides and to become as good a player for her team as she can, doing whatever is asked of her along the way. Whatever position the staff puts her in, she is certain that it is what’s best for herself and for her team.

“I think however I can help the team is best, and the coaches know what’s best so it’s good,” Creighton said.

She has confidence in her coaches, and clearly, they return the confidence they have invested in their freshman starter.

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Credit: Ken Chaney | Senior forward Nicki Jones recorded 12 points, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks in Drexel’s 51-33 victory over Colgate University in the LIU Turkey Classic.

Coming off a tough two-point loss against local rival Saint Joseph’s University, Drexel women’s basketball head coach Denise Dillon knew they would again be tested against another local school: La Salle University.

The game against La Salle would prove to be a launching point for the women’s team for their Thanksgiving tournament: the Long Island University Turkey Classic.

The close loss against St. Joe’s prepared the Dragons for handling a back-and-forth affair, which the game against La Salle proved to be. The Dragons won the game thanks to a great blend of leadership play from their seniors and a spark from their freshmen. Senior Hollie Mershon continued her great start to the season by scoring 20 points, while fellow senior Nicki Jones had her first double-double of the season by scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Freshmen Meghan Creighton and Rachel Pearson combined for 13 points, as the Dragons won their third consecutive game against La Salle 56-53.

“Coming off the St. Joseph’s game, the girls understood that the La Salle game would be a tough battle,” Dillon said of her team’s resilience in the game against La Salle. “They were more prepared and were expecting that. That enabled them to pull out the close game.”

The women’s team then traveled to Brooklyn, N.Y., to compete in the LIU Turkey Classic. Their first-round game against the University of Missouri-Kansas City saw the Dragons explode for a season-high 76 points, as they defeated UMKC 76-40. Rachel Pearson was the top performer of the game, as she had the hot hand for much of the game. Pearson scored 19 points in a very efficient manner, going 7-9 from the field, including 5-6 from beyond the three-point line. Mershon had an all-around performance with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Junior Abby Redick scored 10 points and had six rebounds and a career-high five assists. The entire women’s team had a very efficient game, as the Dragons shot 30-58 from the floor in the game. Nine of the 10 dragons that played scored in the game.

Dillon said she was very pleased with her team’s depth because it’s a luxury to have heading forward.

“Everyone made a contribution to the victories. The ability to play 10 players a significant amount of time and not have a dropoff with any rotation on the floor was big,” Dillon said.

In the championship game of the LIU Turkey Classic, the Dragons wrapped up an impressive series of performances by defeating Colgate University 51-33. The Dragons’ dominant defense, which was such a key to their successful season last year and still is this year, was on full display over the two games against UMKC and Colgate. Against UMKC the Dragons only allowed 16 first-half points. Against Colgate they topped themselves by allowing nine points in the half, causing 11 turnovers and holding Colgate to only 16 percent shooting.

“The consistency on the defensive end was good to see. Overall in both games, we committed to getting the defensive stops,” Dillon said of her team’s series of outstanding defensive performances.

Defensively against Colgate, senior Taylor Wootton grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, while Mershon led the charge offensively for the Dragons by pouring in 18 points. Mershon’s efforts over the two games in the LIU Turkey Classic earned her Tournament MVP honors and an All-Tournament selection. Joining Mershon on the All-Tournament team was Jones, who had a well-rounded game against Colgate with 12 points, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks. The LIU Turkey Classic marks Drexel’s first in-season tournament championship since December 28-29, 2000, when they captured the Big Apple Classic.

Coming off two excellent all-around team games, the Dragons were set to face the 24th-ranked University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. This was a matchup between two of the nation’s top defensive teams, and as a result, points were going to be scarce and every basket would be heavily contested.

The Dragons jumped on South Carolina by building a 14-point halftime lead of 36-22. However, South Carolina didn’t lay down, forcing 10 turnovers in the second half and controlling the boards after losing the rebounding battle in the first half. After clawing back to force the game into overtime, both defenses clamped down in the overtime period. Only one field goal was scored during the overtime, and unfortunately it belonged to the Gamecocks. Along with a free throw, the Dragons only allowed three points the entire overtime period. Unfortunately, the Dragons couldn’t crack the tough pressure of the South Carolina defense and didn’t score in the five minutes of overtime. The Dragons fell 58-55. Mershon led the Dragons with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Junior Fiona Flanagan scored 11 points, while Wootton chipped in 9. After getting some much-needed rest, the Drexel women’s team will travel to the University of Vermont to take part in the TD Bank Classic.

Dillon said she feels that after another emotional loss, the Dragons will come out ready to capture another tournament title.

“Obviously after an emotional loss, I think that will keep the team hungry to come out starting Friday ready to go with the same intensity to pull out a win. We hope we can put up two good results on Friday and Saturday, ” Dillon said.

The Dragons have lost two games this season by a combined five points, proving that they will compete and be in every match. As a result, anything is possible.

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Credit: Ken Chaney | Senior point guard Hollie Mershon scored 19 points and pulled down 15 rebounds against the University of South Carolina Nov. 28 to secure her first career double-double. Mershon has led Drexel in scoring in five of the team’s first six games and is averaging 19 points per game so far this season.

Every successful basketball team has leadership at the helm of its squad, be it a couple seniors who have been around the block or the best player on the team taking up the cause.

For the Drexel women’s basketball team, it’s no different, and senior Hollie Mershon has answered the call after Kamile Nacickaite and Tyler Hale graduated, taking their combined 25.5 points per game with them.

Mershon may have averaged the most minutes per game on the team and been voted the team’s Co-MVP last year as well, but she’s truly stepped into her leadership role in her final season as a Dragon.

“We lost four seniors, and we definitely needed to fill the role of vocal leader with someone like [Hale] having graduated,” Mershon said when asked about the need for a leader on this year’s team. “That was something that needed to happen. In that way, I’ve developed into more of a vocal leader in helping out the younger players as they get familiar with what to do.”

And she has also decided to lead the team by example. Through the first six games of the year, Mershon, the Preseason First-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection has been on an absolute tear. She leads the Dragons in scoring with 19.0 points per game and also contributes 7.7 rebounds per game, an impressive amount for a guard. Her efforts in Drexel’s first game against Providence College ­— 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists — were enough to garner her a CAA co-Player of the Week award.

She also piloted the team to its first in-season tournament title since 2000, winning the Long Island University Turkey Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., with relative ease. In the title game against Colgate University, Mershon shot 50 percent from the field and scored 18 of the Dragons’ 51 points en route to an 18-point victory.

Yet if you ask her whether or not she wants the ball in a game-winning situation, she exemplifies another key facet of a leader: selflessness.

“If there was a situation with no timeouts where we had to improvise on the floor,” she explained, “I would probably be trying to get the ball to someone who had the hot hand that night or someone that I think is willing to take that last shot. I think this is a team with a lot of different options for that type of situation, so I don’t think it necessarily would have to come down to me.”

And it’s that kind of playmaking ability that makes Mershon so valuable. While she is undoubtedly an impressive scorer, as she has proven all year, she also possesses vision that allows her to find her teammates all over the floor.

In a tight game against Saint Joseph’s University earlier this year (the team’s only loss thus far), she displayed both her scoring touch and her playmaking ability early on. Just 4:43 into the game, the Dragons found themselves down to the Hawks by seven points, 12-5. Rather than forcing shots and making ill-advised decisions, Mershon instead made one shot herself, assisted the next Drexel bucket, made another layup, hit a free throw and then assisted another Taylor Wootton bucket. Just 5:09 after the team was down by seven, Mershon had orchestrated the offense to an 11-4 run with five points and two assists, contributing in part to nine of the 11 points on that run.

That stretch of five minutes in the St. Joe’s game was only a snapshot of the prowess that Mershon displays on a nightly basis. As she and her team march on after Wednesday night’s tough overtime loss to the 24th-ranked University of South Carolina, their leader has high expectations for their future.

“We’ve had a strong start so far, but there is a lot that we need to improve on for future games,” Mershon said. “Our goal at the end of the day is to be able to keep our postseason streak alive. We need to keep focusing on the defensive end this week, going up against some bigger and stronger teams.”

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Credit: Ken Chaney | Senior point guard Hollie Mershon drives to her left during Drexel’s 47-45 loss to Saint Joseph’s University Nov. 14. The Dragons lost their home opener on a three-pointer by Hawks junior guard Erin Shields as time expired.

After starting slow in their home opener Nov. 14, the Drexel women’s basketball team gave their fans every reason to root until the final buzzer sounded.

Well, almost until the final buzzer sounded.

With 0.9 seconds left, the Dragons found themselves up on Saint Joseph’s University by one, 45-44, defending an inbound play that would need to be perfectly executed in order to succeed. That’s exactly what happened, as the Hawks’ inbound pass found junior guard Erin Shields wide open behind the three-point arc. Shields squared to the hoop and fired as time expired, connecting on nothing but the bottom of the net, extinguishing the Dragons’ hopes in the tightly contested home opener.

The game began in St. Joe’s favor, as they started the first half hot, hitting four of their first six field goals and taking advantage of a cold start from the Dragons. With 15:48 left in the first half, Drexel had already fallen behind 12-3 and was showing no sign of life offensively. But, just like in their season opener against Providence College, senior guard Hollie Mershon (last week’s Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week) caught fire.

Mershon’s confident shooting sparked the Dragons’ subsequent 13-4 run in which the girls hit six straight field goals, tying the score at 16-16. And when the Hawks reclaimed the lead, 24-20, Drexel didn’t let the score marinate, as they then ran off 12 straight points to take an authoritative 32-24 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish until the 1:06 mark of the second half.

Mershon shot 5-8 from the field and 3-4 from the free-throw line to pile up 13 points in the first half as she led a senior scoring onslaught. After her output came senior forward Nicki Jones, who had eight points at halftime, and senior Taylor Wootton, who had six at halftime after making her first three shots of the game. Wootton provided a flotation device for the Mershon-reliant offense as St. Joe’s began to understand the Dragons’ offensive plays, hitting shots on two of Mershon’s three assists in the game, and she finished the game with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Drexel took a 32-27 lead into halftime and scored the first two points of the second half, but the Dragons then hit a cold streak, as all of the team’s shooters seemed to lose their touch. The Hawks didn’t come out any better, taking 3:32 to score their first points of the half, which was also their first converted field goal since the 6:58 mark of the first half, a testament to the defensive prowess of the Dragons.

However, St. Joe’s eventually found a (relatively) productive rhythm and started to narrow the gap. With Mershon struggling in the second half (she shot just 2-9 in the final 20 minutes), the Drexel offense found scoring difficult, and with less than five minutes left, it was a two-point game with Drexel leading 41-39.

With 1:09 left, Shields hit a jumper to give the Hawks their first lead of the second half, and on the following Drexel possession, it seemed as if the Dragons might lose possession before Jones was able to keep the ball in bounds. Following a Drexel timeout, Mershon was able to shrug off her dismal second half and put in a layup with 26.7 seconds remaining in the game.

With what appeared to be one last chance, Mershon’s stalwart defense forced a poor shot selection, and the Dragons gained possession with 11 seconds left. But on the very next play, St. Joe’s senior guard Ashley Prim stole the ball and, after a short tussle, accidentally knocked the ball off of Mershon’s face, resulting in the possession arrow pointing the Hawks’ way.

After more continued defensive pressure on every St. Joe’s attempt, the true last chance came on the aforementioned game-winning shot from Shields to seal what was a truly titanic first game of the regular season at the DAC.

The Drexel women will continue their season Nov. 17, at La Salle University at 1 p.m.

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Credit: Ken Chaney | Senior point guard Hollie Mershon glides in for a layup in a home game at the DAC. The Dragons begin the season on the road Nov. 9 against Providence College of the Big East Conference and will host Saint Joseph’s University Nov. 14 in their home opener.

Heading into their first game Nov. 9 against the Friars of Providence College, head coach Denise Dillon and her rugged Drexel women’s basketball team will look to adjust to several new awaiting challenges.

The first challenge is to replace last year’s leading scorer and co-MVP Kamile Nacickaite. Much of the scoring burden this season will fall on the shoulders of all-everything senior shooting guard Hollie Mershon. Mershon, who was second-team all-Colonial Athletic Association, was the team’s second-leading scorer last season and co-MVP with Nacickaite. Mershon averaged 14.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season. Combined with Nacickaite’s 16.8 points per game, the duo averaged 35 of the team’s 59.8 points per game. The next returning starter, senior forward Taylor Wootton, averaged 7.2 points per game.

Dillon knows that not having another proven scorer will be something her team has to work through in this upcoming season.

“This is a selfless team. They just need to have the confidence to take the shot when you need to take the shot,” Dillon said of her team.

Along with the Dragons’ potential offensive woes, there is some cause for concern with the team starting freshman Meghan Creighton at point guard. While many teams would be hesitant to start a freshman at such an important position on the team, Dillon was not.

“She has done a really nice job understanding what the team is about, and we feel that she is ready for the job,” Dillon said.

Along with Creighton, Mershon and Wootton, junior guard and forward Fiona Flanagan and senior forward Nicki Jones round out the starting five heading into the Dragons’ first game against Providence.

While there may be some concern about the team’s offense, there is little when it comes to the Dragons’ defense. The Dragons have a swarming defense that finished atop the CAA and in the nation’s top five defenses, allowing just 54.3 points per game. Along with their defense, the emergence of senior Renee Johnson-Allen has been a surprise for Dillon. She believes Johnson-Allen can be the spark the team needs on both offense and defense coming off the bench.

Dillon said she believes the season opener against Providence will be a good test for her team. It will also be an opportunity to see how her team plays against a higher-ranked opponent. The test against Providence is also an opportunity for Dillon to see how her team performs and what changes have to be made to be better prepared for conference play.

Dillon has high hopes for her team, but she reminded them not to look too far ahead.

“It’s a challenging out-of-conference schedule, it will prepare us for a tough CAA run,” Dillon said. “It helps the strength of schedule if we win, hurts if we lose. The ultimate goal is to win the CAA. We have to come out ready. We need to be focused; we’re playing on the road. Also, with the exception of Taylor and Hollie, there are a lot of new faces on the court. We just have to take it one possession at a time.”

A new season brings new hopes and challenges, and Dillon knows that to achieve her hopes and goals for the team, it starts with the opening match against the Friars.

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[/media-credit] Senior Nicki Jones rises up for a layup against Long Island University, Nov. 11 of last year. The Dragons lost the game 60-52.

After a few weeks of official practice, Drexel appeared ready for a new season, as they defeated Bloomsburg 67-43 in regulation. However, because it was an exhibition game, the teams played an additional 10-minute overtime period simply to gain more valuable court time. During the final frame, Drexel extended its lead to 83-53 for a solid 30-point win. Senior guard Hollie Mershon led the way for the Dragons, scoring 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field, as well as 6-for-8 shooting from the foul line. She also pulled down seven rebounds and recorded five assists on the day. Mershon is the backbone of this team both physically and mentally, and head coach Denise Dillon knows she will be essential to a strong season:

“We expect a great deal from Hollie. … She expects just as much from herself. Each year Hollie has improved on both ends of the court and continues to grow with the game,” Dillon said after the scrimmage. “We know Hollie is going to compete every time she steps on the floor. … We need every member of our team to have that mentality for us to be successful.”

Another one of Drexel’s key players is senior forward Nicki Jones, who will anchor the Dragons’ defense this season. In the scrimmage, Jones showed her defensive prowess with three blocks and five steals against the Huskies. She was efficient on the offensive end as well, making seven of 11 shots from the field and two of three from the free-throw line for 16 points. While the seniors will play a major role for Drexel this season, underclassmen are expected to make an impact as well. Freshman guard Meghan Creighton showed her ability to contribute immediately with a strong performance in the exhibition game. The rookie from Archbishop John Carroll High School led the team with 46 minutes played, during which she was 5 for 6 from three-point range for 15 total points. She also added four assists and grabbed four rebounds for the Dragons. Dillon said she sees Creighton as a smart player who has the ability to score and will surely be a weapon for Drexel:

“Meghan has great understanding of the game and our style of play, which allows us to put her in the starting lineup early in her career,” Dillon said. “Her ability to knock down jumpers gives us another offensive threat on the floor.”

Overall, the scrimmage with Bloomsburg gave the Drexel women’s team a chance to test their progress outside of practice and at full speed in a game situation. While there were many positives that came out of the exhibition, the Dragons also identified some of their weaknesses. Reflecting on the game, Dillon commented that she and her team “quickly realized what we need to work on to prepare for a tough out-of-conference schedule. Our communication on both ends of the floor needs to improve, and we must limit our turnovers.” In the week leading up to the season opener, Dillon said she intends to stress the importance of “taking care of the basketball and cherishing each possession.”

If the Dragons can effectively address some of those issues, the 2012-13 season will likely start on a positive note against Providence College.

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[/media-credit] Senior guard Hollie Mershon dribbles the ball up the court against Long Island University last season at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Mershon enters the final year of her college career with her main goal winning a Colonial Athletic Association Championship.

In order to accomplish that goal, Drexel women’s basketball head coach Denise Dillon will turn to Mershon along with her three fellow seniors: guard Renee Johnson-Allen, forward Taylor Wootton and forward Nicki Jones. Dillon will look to these players because of their talent and experience.

While all four of these players will be under pressure to lead Drexel to a CAA championship, especially after making a finals appearance last year, Mershon is expected to have more eyes concentrated on her this upcoming season.

This past week, Mershon was named as a first-team selection to the All-CAA team. The selection serves as affirmation that there are extra eyes on Mershon this upcoming season. The preseason selections are not based on any performance this year; however, they serve as a prediction of performance and impact according to an athlete’s previous performances. Essentially, big things are expected from Mershon this upcoming year, and she is the key player who can drive the Dragons to accomplishing their goals.

“It feels great to be recognized as one of the top players, but I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me, and I am just focusing on being the player that my team needs me to be in order to achieve our goals,” Mershon said of receiving the preseason honor.

Mershon has had a steady growth under Dillon and has evolved into the dynamic player that she currently is. Coming from Archbishop John Carroll High School, where she won three Philadelphia Catholic League championships and the 2009 Pennsylvania state championship, Mershon was one of Dillon’s most heralded recruits. Her versatility and playmaking ability was what made her unique and has served her well throughout her career at Drexel.

In her freshman season, Mershon’s ability to come into games off the bench and instantly make an impact not only on offense, but also defense, made her one of the key bench players of Dillon’s team that year. Her performance off the bench against Virginia Commonwealth University on Feb. 14 of that season served as evidence of her impact and of things to come. Mershon came off the bench to score seven points and dish out five assists, four rebounds and two steals — a stat line any coach would be proud of. Mershon also didn’t miss a single free throw in her freshman season.

Mershon’s sophomore season was full of surprises. She was not expected to start because then-senior Marissa Crane was ahead of her on the depth chart. However, after Crane suffered a season-ending knee injury, Dillon tabbed Mershon to be the team’s starting point guard.

“I think that for me personally, every year has been a little different simply because I had to change roles in my position,” Mershon said about her experience her sophomore season. “I was asked to play in the point guard position when our [point guard] Marisa Crane was injured. It allowed me to experience a whole different part of the game.”

Mershon’s ability to quickly adapt to a new position proved to be beneficial to the team that season, as they made a second consecutive appearance in the women’s National Invitation Tournament.

This past season, Mershon’s junior year, would be her coming-out party.

Mershon started all 33 games for the Dragons and averaged 14.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Her 14.5 points per game was second on the team and ninth in the CAA in scoring. Dillon would use Mershon as a combo guard because of her unique ability to be both a scorer and passer.

Mershon hit 58 three-pointers, scored double digits in 28 of the 33 games and had 108 assists to lead the team. Against James Madison University she scored a career-high 27 points. As a result of her outstanding junior season, Mershon was named to second team All-CAA and voted Drexel’s co-MVP for the 2011-12 season.

Heading into her senior season, Mershon ranks 24th on Drexel’s all-time scoring list with 860 points and is looking to become the 20th player in Drexel women’s basketball history to reach 1,000 career points.

Mershon is a true jack-of-all-trades. Her ability to score, pass, rebound and defend is something very few players possess. She is also one of the anchors of a swarming Drexel defense that finished at the top of the CAA, and she is in one of the nation’s top five scoring defenses, allowing just 54.3 points per game. Dillon and Mershon believe that their defense is going to be a key factor this season if this team is to contend for a championship.

“Our goal is to have a winning season and win the championship,” Mershon said. “We have a strong team defense, and if we stay focused on that end I think that we will come out strong. I think the biggest challenge will be to get back to the championship game because that’s everyone’s goal. Our team just has to stay focused on consistency and making a commitment to be the best defensive team out there.”

In Mershon’s three years at Drexel, she has achieved great things; however, the one thing that has evaded her and her fellow seniors is a CAA championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Achieving both this season would cap a storied career of one of the most complete players to ever step on the court for the Drexel Dragons. When asked how she wants to be remembered by Drexel fans, Mershon replied, “as someone who is willing to do anything for the team and everything to win.” As a result of her unselfish play on the court, it will be hard to forget her.

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Credit: Ken Chaney | Senior point guard Hollie Mershon averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists for Drexel last season as the team won its first postseason game in program history.

The Drexel women’s basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association at the league’s annual Media Day. The announcement came Oct. 16 after coaches in the league submitted their rankings, predicting the finishes for all 11 teams.

Also included in the many announcements on Media Day were the selections to the All-CAA team. Drexel’s Hollie Mershon was named to the team as a preseason selection, meaning she is predicted to have one of the best seasons in the conference.

Mershon, a 5-foot-10-inch guard from Malvern, Pa., enjoyed a breakout season last year when she averaged 14.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. For her great play that season, she was recognized as Co-team Most Valuable Player and was selected to the conference’s second team.

Despite last year’s big season putting her in position for a recognition like this, the senior was still a bit surprised by the honor.

“I was a little surprised,” Mershon said. “It’s a great honor to be recognized among the best in the CAA. But overall, I was surprised.”

The Dragons will be seeking their fifth consecutive postseason appearance. Last season they appeared in the CAA Championship Game, where they fell 59-43 to the rival University of Delaware. That came on the heels of a 19-14 season, including an impressive 12-6 record in the CAA.

This year represents a challenge to return to the championship game. The Dragons will return to the court without four key seniors from last season. Despite that, Mershon said she felt that she and her teammates can help fill the void and not miss a beat.

“We still have a strong upperclassmen base,” she explained. “We have a lot of experience and a strong incoming class. We recognize the other strong teams in the conference, but we have a talented team.”

Mershon makes the goals clear for the season, both for her and the team. Her goals, however, happen to circle back to the team.

“For the team, win 20-plus games and get back to the championship game,” she said. “For me, it’s based on the team goal and getting back to the player they need me to be.”

How can she be that player they need her to be?

“Just let the game come to me,” she said. “My main focus is the defensive end. We’re a defensive-oriented team. We know that shots will fall [offensively], and we have to stop teams.”

Mershon and Drexel will look to get things started the right way when they tip off their season Nov. 9 at Providence College.

Finally, among the other announcements at CAA Media Day were the predicted top team and player of the conference. Those awards went to Delaware and Elena Delle Donne from the Blue Hens, respectively.

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[/media-credit] Senior point guard Hollie Mershon played the most minutes of any Drexel player last season and averaged 14.5 points per game. Mershon will lead the Dragons as the team looks to build on last season’s success.

The Dragons will open the season on the road for only the second time in the past five years, as they are set to open the season Nov. 9 in Providence, R.I.. Seven of the Dragons’ first eight games will be on the road.

The only home game in that span will be the home opener at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Philadelphia rival Saint Joseph’s University will be the first visitor on the women’s floor this season Nov. 14. The Dragons will be looking to improve on their home struggles from last season, when they went 6-8 on the home floor.

After that home date, the Dragons will not play another home game until Dec. 21, when the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, their University City neighbors, come to the DAC. That will be the last of three matchups against rival Philadelphia schools, the other being Nov. 17 when they visit La Salle University. Head coach Denise Dillon said those games stick out to her when looking at the schedule.

“I think [for] the games against the Philadelphia schools — Saint Joe’s, La Salle and Penn — there’ll be a lot of excitement,” she said.

Early in the season, Drexel will travel north for two tournaments, the first of which will be the Long Island Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., Nov. 23-24.

The second one will be at The University of Vermont for the TD Bank Classic, which should be a challenge. They are scheduled to play The University of Rhode Island and Vermont Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, respectively. Dillon said she liked the idea of facing tougher out-of-conference teams, with the chance to pick up quality wins and really put the team in a good position with regard to their Ratings Percentage Index.

The conference schedule against their Colonial Athletic Association rivals will kick off Jan. 6 at home against Towson University. Every CAA team, with the exception of Northeastern University, will play at the DAC this season. Drexel will only face Northeastern once, when they visit them Jan. 24.

Senior Day, the regular-season home finale, will take place March 6 when the Dragons host James Madison University. It will be the final home game for the four seniors: Renee Johnson-Allen, Nicki Jones, Hollie Mershon and Taylor Wootton.

The postseason is set to begin March 14, when the CAA Tournament will take place. Drexel made it to the championship game last season and will be looking to make a return trip, an obvious goal Dillon reiterated.

They will be starting the season with four incoming freshman, needing to replace their four graduated seniors. Because of that, the new season can present some challenges as the new-look team gels together.

“We have some unknowns, having lost four seniors,” Dillon said. “The girls are really excited about the season, and we are looking forward to getting it started.”

Now that we have the official schedule, the official countdown to the season can begin — only four weeks away from game 1.

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[/media-credit] Senior forward Nicki Jones drives to the basket and prepares to shoot in a game against Long Island University at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The Dragons will get a boost this coming season with the addition of an accomplished and talented group of rookies.

While filling the void left by the graduates, top scorer and co-MVP Kamile Nacickaite in particular, is certainly a tall order, the new additions to the team are up for the task. All five recruits come to Drexel after impressive careers at the high school and junior college levels, which will surely help them make smooth transitions to the next level. This year’s rookie class is good on a national level, with three of the five recruits ranked in the top 100 in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz.

One of Drexel’s top recruits is freshman Meghan Creighton, a 5-foot-7-inch guard from Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pa. Creighton had one of the most accomplished high school careers of this year’s recruiting class, which consisted of three Philadelphia Catholic League championships, two Pennsylvania state championships and the 2012 Catholic League Player of the Year Award, among numerous other individual honors. Head coach Denise Dillon pointed out that “Meg’s knowledge of the game will help make a smooth transition for her from high school to the collegiate level. Her ability to knock down the three-point shot makes her a good fit for our system.” As the 31st-ranked point guard in the nation, Creighton is expected to have an immediate impact for Drexel.

Another newcomer expected to contribute to the team right away is freshman Rachel Pearson, a 5-foot-11-inch swing player who was teammates with Creighton at Archbishop Carroll. Pearson, like Creighton, helped lead Carroll to two state championships and three Catholic League titles while earning many individual honors, including first-team All-Catholic League and first-team All-Delaware County. More important than the awards was Pearson’s contribution to her team. She averaged 10.5 points and seven rebounds per game, pacing her team to a 29-2 season, which earned them a national ranking of 38. Pearson’s versatility on the offensive end opens many doors for Drexel. According to Dillon, “that will enable her to fit a number of positions for us.” The ability to use a player in multiple positions is a valuable asset that can help increase efficiency for a team as a whole.

Adding additional depth in the Dragons’ backcourt is freshman Carrie Alexander, a 5-foot-7-inch guard from Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md. Alexander had a strong high school career, boasting awards and honors such as two All-Washington Athletic Conference honorable mentions and one first-team honor and the Gwynn Park Girls Basketball Fall League MVP Award. She has a mid-range game and the ability to get to the rim, which Dillon intends to “encourage and develop” because it adds another dimension to the offense.

Last season, Drexel was one of the best defensive teams in the nation, allowing only 54.3 points per game. In order to further establish themselves as a defensive stalwart, the Dragons recruited junior Jamila Thompson, a 6-foot-4-inch forward out of Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Fla. Thompson, who spent her first two seasons of eligibility at Daytona State, is a very defensive-minded player. She led her team to Mid-Florida Conference championships in 2011 and 2012 and received Defensive Player of the Year honors each time. Dillon described that Thompson “will be a force on defense and will help create offensive opportunities.” Thompson’s exceptional size and quickness allow her to contribute to both ends of the floor.

Also in the frontcourt is freshman Pandora Wilson, a 6-foot forward from The Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Md. As a high school player, Wilson received All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference first-team honors twice and second-team honors once. Dillon remarked that she “offers us a different look in the post. She has the ability to score with her back to the basket.” Additional skill sets are key anywhere on the floor and often open up more opportunities for teammates.

Each of the new additions to the Drexel women’s basketball team is expected to make an impact this season. By building on their accomplished basketball careers leading up to Drexel, each player will be able to make a contribution in the near future.

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Members of the women’s basketball team huddle together during a 2011-12 contest. This year the team has acquired five new additions to its roster.

With such big shoes to fill, the coaching staff pulled together to pursue heavy recruiting efforts. The team welcomes five incoming freshmen whom they hope will continue their success through the 2012-13 season.

The group includes five different types of players, including guard Carrie Alexander, point guard Meghan Creighton, wing Rachel Pearson, and forwards Jamila Thompson and Pandora Wilson. Four of the five were three-star prospects. The exception is Thompson, who was recruited from London.

The group will bring winning backgrounds and a strong work ethic to the team. Both Creighton and Pearson are from West Chester, Pa., and attended Archbishop John Carroll High School together. The duo was part of a two-time state-champion team. Thompson was a conference champion the past two seasons. Wilson, a three-time member of her all-conference team, played on a team ranked as high as No. 4 in the Washington metro area last season at The Academy of the Holy Cross.

Drexel’s staff hopes the players will make an easy transition from high school to college.

“They come from winning programs, so we’re hoping to see continued success,” assistant coach Melissa Dunne said.

It’s more than likely they will be accumulating minutes, and considering that they each play a different position, they can each make an impact in different areas.

“We feel really strongly about their ability to make an impact and get on the floor early,” Dunne said. “They each have a strong pedigree, good attitude and good work ethic.”

They will need a strong work ethic to compete at the collegiate level. As Dunne commented, the team’s culture is hard work, so the new players should fit right in. The coaching staff looks for them to be dedicated and to respect the game.

For now, Dunne and the staff look to make sure that the newbies effortlessly make the transition to the college game.

“We’re looking for them to come in and make a smooth transition,” Dunne said.

With everything in place, including talent, pedigree and attitude, this should be a successful class and future four years on the court.

“We think all [of the players] have the ability to stand out this season and in their career,” Dunne said.

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McCullough succeeds James Clark, who contributed as an assistant coach for Drexel from 2007 to 2012 and has left the Dragons to pursue a position at Wagner College.

“I look forward to being on the court and helping the players see and understand the game as I see it,” McCullough said of her new responsibilities. “I really enjoy the staff I work with every day, and being a part of Drexel Athletics is something I value so much.”

In her former position as coordinator of basketball operations, McCullough juggled many different tasks. She managed all of the operations of the basketball office on a daily basis. She also collaborated on the team’s practice and traveling schedules during the season. Her familiarity with the program stemmed not just from her time in the office but also from her time on the court as a competitor.

Under the leadership and guidance of Dillon, McCullough played on the Drexel basketball team after joining as a walk-on in 2004. Not just a fierce competitor, McCullough always showed dedication and passion on and off the court. Despite battling a knee injury her junior year, she exuded professionalism and talent and earned herself the team’s Spirit and Leadership Award. She started in 24 of 25 games in her senior season.

McCullough graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in legal studies and a minor in psychology.

“I have a lot of pride graduating from Drexel and being a student-athlete,” McCullough said. “Being a Dragon meant more to me than the uniform I put on. It became a lifestyle with friends, coaches and teachers helping me work through problems and developing me to be a better student, athlete and person. I want the girls to have the same opportunities and involvements that were open to me.”

The talent and leadership did not end when she graduated, as she joined the staff and played a key role in guiding the Dragons to their first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship in 2009. She hopes to continue that guidance in her new career.

“As an assistant coach, I can use my familiarities and knowledge to assist the girls in getting the full Drexel experience,” McCullough happily said.

One of her main responsibilities as assistant coach will be recruiting. As Dillon commented, she believes that McCullough will be an “outstanding recruiter” as the team strives to “bring in standout student-athletes to Drexel.”

This is a task that McCullough takes very seriously, and she hopes to achieve the high standards that she has set for herself. With a strong and talented group of women backing her up, she believes that making the move and accomplishing her new tasks will happen with ease.

“I am extremely fortunate because I have three women who have already started helping me with the new transition and are great role models,” McCullough said. “Denise [Dillon], Amy [Mallon] and Melissa [Dunne] have all given me pointers and have been molding me to be a great Drexel recruiter. I have always liked a challenge and look at this new responsibility to be an aspect I can develop quickly with the help of the staff.”

With a new position comes new challenges, but McCullough is ready to tackle them head on with a little help from her coaching staff and players.

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Senior forward Tyler Hale drives to the hoop through the Virginia Commonwealth University defense at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Due to Syracuse’s outstanding rebounding efforts, with 58 boards compared to Drexel’s 33, the Orange pulled out a big win during a second-half surge.

The Dragons reached the second round by defeating Fairfield University in the first round 57-41 March 15.

Though Drexel’s WNIT appearance was cut short, the women should be proud of their dominating and extremely impressive season, so much so that they just missed a NCAA tournament bid by one game.

After defeating Virginia Commonwealth University and James Madison University in early CAA Tournament rounds, the University of Delaware defeated the Dragons 43-59 in the finals, putting an end to their impressive run.

For seniors Kamile Nacickaite, Marisa Crane, Ayana Lee and Tyler Hale, this season marked the end of their successful careers on the court as Dragons.

“I will miss being surrounded by this great group of people every day,” Lee commented. “They were definitely my second family.”

The senior members of the women’s basketball family all played their final moments together as Dragons — with under a minute left against Syracuse, head coach Denise Dillon pulled all four seniors out of the game at once, only to be greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd.

This was a bittersweet moment for the women. Though it marked the end of an era, it was the end of a wildly successful one. This group of seniors was the first in Drexel history to reach a postseason tournament in all four of its seasons. In addition, all four seniors played in over 100 games during their time at Drexel.

Both the experiences on the court as well as the friendships off the court made for memories that the women will never forget.

As Crane put it, “I will miss having the camaraderie that comes along with being a team and knowing you’ve got each other’s backs no matter what. You have to appreciate your time here and not take it for granted. Live in the moment because these four years fly by!”

This season marked Drexel’s second-ever trip to the CAA Championship game. This can be attributed to the standout talents on the team, one being Nacickaite, who finished her career fourth all-time at Drexel with 1,649 points.

Along Drexel’s offense, the Dragons’ defense also contributed to their success. Overall, the defensive unit finished the year with a 54.3 points-per-game-allowed average, which was the best in the CAA this season and is also the best average in school history thus far.

The Dragons finished the season by winning 14 of their final 21 games, leaving them with a 19-14 overall record and a 12-6 record in conference play.

Their stellar record can be credited to the women’s dedication to the game and their dedication to one another.

“I’ve definitely learned that nothing is accomplished without teamwork,” Lee said. “You may think you can do it all alone, but it’s always better when you have a support system behind you and working with you.”

This year also marked personal success for Dillon. She became the winningest coach in Division I history at Drexel when her team defeated Old Dominion University Feb. 16 for her 145th win. At the end of this season, Dillon’s win total in her Drexel tenure stood at 151. Her successful coaching may have helped Director of Athletics Eric Zillmer to pull the trigger on signing Dillon to a multi-year contract extension.

Although the details of the contract are not disclosed, one can presume that Dillon isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

“We are excited to announce that Denise is staying at Drexel for years to come,” Zillmer said. “She has brought the program to another level and has put Drexel on the map in the world of women’s basketball. We look forward to her continued success in the upcoming years.”

Needless to say, it appears as though the women’s basketball team will only continue to improve with time. With strong leadership left behind from the graduating seniors, the underclassmen can now follow in their footsteps for seasons to come.

As Hale put it, “Time does fly, and the end of your senior year comes around fast, so play every game like it’s your last, and always remember to have fun because that’s why we play this sport.”

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[/media-credit]

Over the next three weeks, the Dragons went 5-1, the only loss being a 40-39 defeat at the hands of the 10th-ranked University of Delaware, and clinched the No. 3 seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament in Upper Marlboro, Md.

The first-round matchup was March 9 against Virginia Commonwealth University, a team the Dragons had defeated twice in the regular season. That includes a 47-41 win in Richmond, Va. Jan. 26 and a 73-63 victory on senior night at the DAC Feb. 29, just 10 days earlier.

“We all know it is never easy to beat a good team three times in a season,” head coach Denise Dillon said. “We were definitely expecting the VCU game to be a close one.”

Drexel jumped out to a huge lead against the Rams, taking a 30-12 lead into halftime. At one point in the first half, the Dragons held VCU scoreless for eight minutes in the process of building their lead.

In the second half, the Rams mounted a huge comeback and got within two points before senior guard Kamile Nacickaite hit a pair of foul shots with 1.1 seconds left to secure a 65-61 victory. Drexel went 24-for-31 from the foul line in the game, including 22-for-28 in the second half.

“I was pleased with our team’s focus and aggressive play in the first half, which resulted in a significant lead,” Dillon said. “We were able to hold off VCU by getting the stops when necessary and knocking down key foul shots in the end.”

Next up for the Dragons was second-seeded James Madison. The Dukes defeated George Mason University to advance to the semifinals. After the game was tied 14-14 midway through the first half, Drexel took the lead for good.

“We realized early in the season our offense is going to have its good days and bad, but our defense cannot,” Dillon said. “The team certainly brought that philosophy into the JMU game.”

After being outrebounded 50-33 in their overtime loss Feb. 9, the Dragons focused on keeping the Dukes off the boards. This time, Drexel won the rebounding battle 35-28, including a career-high 15 from Nacickaite to go along with 16 points for her second double-double of the season.

Junior forward Taylor Wootton scored nine points, and senior guard Marisa Crane put up eight points while shooting 3-for-3 from the field. Senior forward Tyler Hale scored 12 points, including a perfect 8 of 8 from the foul line. Drexel was perfect on foul shots, going 18-for-18 from the stripe.

“Our main focus was to keep them off the offensive boards,” Dillon said. “By focusing on defense and rebounding, we were able to execute our offense without much thought.”

After what Dillon called “the best game the team played on both ends of the floor all season,” the Dragons seemed to gain momentum as they moved on to the championship game against top-seeded Delaware.

Drexel’s stellar defense held junior forward Elena Delle Donne, the CAA Player of the Year, and the Blue Hens to a very inefficient first half. The Dragons went to the locker room down 20-16 to the seventh-ranked team in the nation.

However, Drexel could never get into a rhythm on offense, finishing the game shooting 30 percent from the field, and Delaware pulled away in the second half. Delle Donne finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the Blue Hens defeated the Dragons 59-43 to win the CAA Tournament.

“Our poor shooting was a combination of Delaware’s defense and our fatigue,” Dillon said. “We spent so much time and energy focusing on the defensive plan that our offense suffered.”

Despite the team’s overall struggles, junior guard Hollie Mershon scored 16 points, including four three-pointers, while adding four rebounds and two assists. Nacickaite notched 11 points and was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team.

With their great run in the tournament, Drexel earned a bid in the 64-team WNIT. This made the senior class, which consists of Nacickaite, Hale, Crane and guard Ayana Lee, the first in team history to play in four postseason tournaments.

In their first game, the Dragons matched up against Fairfield University, which boasted a 24-8 overall record. The Stags lost in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament finals against Marist College, which is in the Women’s NCAA Tournament as a No. 13 seed.

Being the lower-seeded team, Drexel traveled to Fairfield, Conn. and defeated the Stags 57-41 March 15. The win was the Dragons’ first-ever in the postseason. Hale scored a career-high-tying 18 points and was perfect from the foul line. scored 12 points, but more importantly, played in her 126th game as a Dragon, breaking a tie with former Dragons forward Gabriela Marginean.

Nacickaite The key for the Dragons was a 22-2 scoring run that stretched from the first to the second half, giving them a lead that they would never relinquish.

The Dragons will move on in the WNIT and play the winner of the University of Hartford and Syracuse University, who will play at Hartford, Conn. March 16.

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Senior guard Kamile Nacickaite attempts a pass at the three point line while junior guard Hollie Mershon tries to get around a pick in the Dragons 52-60 loss to Long Island University Nov. 11. Nacickaite had 11 points, five rebound and one assist with 34 minutes of play time in the loss.

Starting with the dominating guard, Nacickaite has earned her fair share of accolades as a Dragon. She made her first career start against the University of Richmond Dec. 22, 2008, and scored 14 points in the game. The rest, as they say, is history. During her first year she led her fellow freshmen in scoring and led the entire team in three-pointers with 35 for the season. She also earned the title of Colonial Athletic Association Co-Rookie of the Week Jan. 4, 2009.

“The best experience would be as a freshman, coming in and winning a championship,” Nacickaite commented. “I think all of us as freshmen contributed to that championship and added something. For me, missing the first part of the season and coming back and being able to score and add something off the bench at the end was a great experience.”

As a sophomore, Nacickaite continued her impressive play by starting in 28 games and was the team’s second leading scorer at 11.6 points per game. She was named to PhillyCollegeSports.com’s All-Women’s Division I team, which could have been attributed to her 134 rebounds and No. 6 ranking in the CAA for three-pointers that season.

She played in all 32 games for Drexel in her junior year and started in all but one. She was named to PhillyCollegeSports.com’s All-Women’s Division I once again and was also named a Second Team All-CAA player. After scoring 20 points against Tulsa University and 24 points against University of Virginia, Nacickaite earned herself the title of Player of the Week Dec. 6, 2010.

After an impressive three years it was only suiting that her fourth and final year was equally, if not more, remarkable than the rest. She led the team in rebounds with an average of 5.8 per game and led the Dragons in scoring in each of the final three games, helping her team earn the No. 3 seed in the CAA Tournament.

Most impressively, she bumped herself to fourth place for all-time scoring at Drexel with 1,574 career points. She was also named CAA Co-Player of the Week, sharing the title with University of Delaware standout Elena Della Donne.

As Nacickaite commented, she couldn’t have had such success without her star roster of coaches.

“I’m so happy I came to Drexel because of these coaches,” Nacickaite said. “They’ve helped me get better since I got here. I was a little stubborn as a player when I got to Drexel, and they taught me a lot. They’ve helped me get to where I am right now.”

The coaches also had a strong impression on the career of Hale.

Hale kicked off her career by playing in 26 games and making two starts as a freshman, her first being against the University of Pennsylvania Dec. 19, 2008. She concluded her season ranked third on the team for rebounding and played a season-high 26 minutes against James Madison University in the CAA Championship game.

She played in all 31 games her sophomore season, making 28 starting appearances throughout the year. Along with her impressive stats on the court, such as her 52 offensive boards and 125 steals and rebounds, she also earned the high honors of the team’s Spirit-Leadership Award as well as CAA All-Academic Honorable Mention.

As a junior, she made 27 appearances and earned the Dragons’ Defensive Player Award. Her accolades were well deserved, seeing as she led the team with a .477 shooting percentage and managed to finish the season with 51 offensive rebounds.

This year, Hale earned the title of Athlete of the Week by putting up 18 points against The College of William & Mary Feb. 12.

All of these accolades wouldn’t be nearly as sweet if the women’s roster weren’t so supportive of one another.

“We always play for each other out on the court,” Nacickaite commented. “I will miss this whole family, especially my teammates and my coaching staff.”

Another member of the Dragons who made a strong impact was Crane, who has proven time and again that she is a strong and powerful asset to the roster. She came onto the team her freshman year with guns blazing — she was the only freshman to play in all 33 games and averaged just over 16 minutes per game as the backup guard. She finished the season ranked fifth on the team in assists and steals.

As a sophomore she kept the momentum rolling, earning the title of CAA All-Academic First Team by leading the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.7, among other things. She played in 31 games, making 30 starts, and led the entire CAA in minutes played with an average of 38.1. She also finished the season with 134 assists, which was the most amount of assists for a Drexel player since the 1989-90 season.

Unfortunately, Crane was only able to play 11 games in her junior year due to an injury. Even so, she was named to the CAA All-Academic First Team once again.

Lee had court time in 20 games her freshman year. She recorded her first career blocked shot during the Dragons’ competition against the Blue Hens Feb. 19, 2009. From that point on, Lee kept improving her skills and stats throughout the seasons.

She again played in 20 games her sophomore year despite suffering from a midseason ankle injury. During the season she earned a then-career high of six points against Penn Nov. 15, 2009, and also improved her totals in steals, rebounds and assists.

Lee really began to flourish in her junior year, playing in 31 of the team’s 32 games and starting in nine of them. She improved her career-high scoring mark to eight and finished third on the team for shooting percentage with .438. Even more impressively, she earned the title of Most Improved Player at the Dragons’ end-of-the-year banquet.

The key to consistent success? Mindset.

“Just be confident,” Nacickaite said. “Once you are confident, the coaches can see that, and they will trust you to be the one to make the big plays.”

Unfortunately, the women’s postseason quest for an NCAA bid ended on a sour note as they fell to the Blue Hens 43-59 in the finals of the CAA Tournament.

With that said, they still have a chance for postseason success. The women will take on Fairfield University in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Regardless of the outcome of the WNIT, these four seniors have made their mark as Dragons and will greatly be missed.

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With three straight wins against The College of William & Mary, Towson University and Virginia Commonwealth University, Drexel finished the regular season with a 16-12 overall record (12-6 CAA).

In addition to the successful momentum heading into the postseason, those three wins bumped Drexel into the No. 3 seed and a subsequent first-round bye for the aforementioned CAA Tournament. While the tournament starts March 8, the competition begins for Drexel March 9.

For head coach Denise Dillon, the end-of-season wins were significant for her team’s success. “They were huge,” Dillon said in an interview before leaving for Maryland. “We talked to the team about controlling their own destiny. Our goal from the beginning was to finish in the top four and get that bye. With the motivation of seeing where we stood with three games left, the girls really came together to do what was necessary to win the big ones.”

Moving into the tournament, each game becomes far bigger in terms of importance. The stakes are considerably raised because the winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With that said, it’s a fair assumption that the games will get harder and teams will bring their all on the court.

The Dragons will play the winner of the VCU-William & Mary game March 9, and regardless of who they play, the matchup will be intense.

“The first game is the toughest one,” Dillon said. “You have that pressure of wanting to advance, [and] you have that added pressure of facing two teams who you have beaten twice. It’s tough to beat a team three times.”

If Drexel does, in fact, win the CAA Tournament, it would be the second time in four years for the Dragons. Their CAA Tournament triumph in 2009 was the first for Drexel (in any sport) since Drexel entered the CAA in 2001. This also marked the first time the team appeared in the NCAA Tournament since entering Division I 27 years earlier. As No. 12 that year, they lost to No. 5 Kansas State University in the Raleigh regional.

Given the team’s history, the opportunity that lies before them is not at all lost on Dillon or her players.

“It’s a goal for our seniors to go out on top with the CAA championship again, as they did this when they were freshmen,” Dillon said.

One advantage that this team has over its adversaries in the CAA is depth. With leading scorers such as senior Kamile Nacickaite (17.2 point percentage), junior Hollie Mershon (14.8 points per game) and senior Tyler Hale (8.2 ppg), the added benefits that come with a deep bench have to be utilized.

“We’ve gone nine, 10 deep this season,” Dillon said. “You need your other players to continue to do what they’ve done this season. It’s a great advantage so long as the players are contributing. The defensive stops are key, [and] baskets at the right time are important when it comes to playoff basketball. They have to contribute.”

Ultimately for Drexel, a unique and tantalizing opportunity lies ahead. Coupled with the accomplishments of the men’s basketball team this year (27-6 overall record, 19 straight wins, narrowly missing out on the CAA title with a 59-56 loss to VCU in the conference final March 5), Drexel has a chance to have both its men’s and women’s basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament.

This is an opportunity that excites Dillon and gives her great pride.

“It would be great for this university to get both [men’s and women’s] teams in,” Dillon said. “I’m confident that the men will get an at-large bid with the success that they have had this season, and they’re well deserving of it. To have both teams finish with postseason play in the NCAA Tournament, there’s nothing greater.”

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Senior guard Marisa Crane directs the offense as she dribbles the ball up the court. On senior day against VCU Crane had one rebound and one assist in 16 minutes of play.

The Drexel women’s basketball team has had a largely successful and exciting run this year, boasting a 16-12 overall record (12-6 Colonial Athletic Association). The Dragons clinched a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament with their win against Towson University Feb. 26.

Coming off a dominating win against The College of William & Mary, the Dragons traveled to Towson, Md. Feb 26 to face the Towson Tigers (16-12, 7-10 CAA).

The Dragons had their backs against the wall late in the first half, as they were down 23-18. The Dragons clamped down on defense and went on a 7-0 run for the remaining five minutes of the half. The run was capped off when junior forward Hollie Mershon sank a running left-handed layup and drew a foul with 6.1 seconds remaining to put Drexel up 25-23 at the half.

The Dragons had a hard time sinking threes in the first half, failing on both of their attempts. Senior forward Kamile Nacickaite ended that drought by hitting a three for Drexel’s first points in the second half.

The Dragons led for much of the second, but they couldn’t keep the Tigers from crawling their way back into the game. At the tail end of the second half, Mershon made a layup through the Towson defense to widen the Dragons’ lead to six points and effectively take the wind out of Towson’s sails. The Tigers still tried to mount a comeback but fell short as the Dragons held them off 58-53.

Nacickaite scored a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds against the Tigers while sophomore guard Fiona Flanagan scored 16 points and Mershon added 13.

The Dragons played their final home game of the season, also known as senior night, at the DAC Feb. 29 against conference rival Virginia Commonwealth University (16-13, 9-9 CAA). On this special occasion, the Dragons said goodbye to Nacickaite, guard Marissa Crane, forward Tyler Hale and guard Ayana Lee. There was more at stake than just sending the seniors off with a win — if the Dragons beat VCU and Hofstra University lost, Drexel would earn the league’s No. 3 seed. If the Dragons faltered, they would secure the No. 4 seed but still have a first-round bye.

Before the game, head coach Denise Dillon honored the graduating seniors and their families at center court.

“It’s unbelievable what they’ve done for this program and the success they’ve had in four years,” Dillon said in an interview after the game. “They came in and won a championship their freshman year, and their goal is to leave with a championship this year as well.”

During the ceremony the DAC Pack held up touching signs for the seniors, such as “Shut-down defender and hardest worker” for Lee, “Hale is the heart of the team,” and “Kamile Nacickaite: leading us to the postseason not one, not two, not three, but four times.”

The game got off to a fast start with both teams playing extremely aggressively on the inbound. As a result, Crane was forced to stretch the court and make some Hail Mary passes. With her first basket of the game, Nacickaite moved into fourth on the women’s basketball all-time leading scoring list.

Both teams traded buckets early with VCU controlling most of the play. The game was really a battle in the trenches in the first with the Dragons accumulating seven personal fouls and the Rams accumulating eight. The first half ended with the Drexel trailing VCU 27-30.

Drexel got back into the game by hitting three after three. Flanagan caught fire midway through the second half, hitting four threes in a row to bring the Dragons’ lead to 52-48. Right after Flanagan’s three-point explosion, VCU hit a three of its own, but Nacickaite came right back and scored a layup while she was getting fouled. She made the free throw to reestablish the Dragons’ four-point lead at 55-51. VCU didn’t let up and eventually came within one point with 2:17 remaining. It was Nacickaite again, on senior day, who put the dagger in the Rams’ hopes of a comeback with a big three. VCU fouled the rest of the game, and Drexel secured the victory 73-63.

“It was important for [the seniors] to get a win at our last home game at the DAC,” Nacickaite said. “I felt like all of the seniors went out hard and they played their best, and the rest of them followed us. We did our thing.”

“The basket just looked big to me in the second half, so it was easy to put the ball into it,” Flanagan said. “[It] felt great. We knew we were getting the shots; we just needed to believe in ourselves to make them. Shooting is contagious with the team, so once one of us starts making them, it’s easier for everyone else to put it in.”

Even with impressive offensive play, the defensive performance was not up to par for Dillon.

“I didn’t feel our defense was as aggressive as it needed to be, [and] we weren’t containing where we needed, but it was close enough [at the half],” Dillon said. “It was a three-point game at that point, and I felt if we could just make some shots to break away a little bit, … so it was a matter of who would get two baskets in a row and one stop, would come out on top.”

Dillon does feel good about the upcoming CAA Tournament. She said that “anything could happen” during the tournament, and she’s confident that her team can make a run.

“I feel what we have executed on the offensive and defensive end, [and] we’re prepared for any team we may face,” Dillon continued. “Now with the girls understanding what the coaches are looking for from them, I feel more prepared.”

The next task for Drexel is the CAA Tournament, which will take place March 8-11 in Marlboro, Md.

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Senior guard Kamile Nacickaite takes the ball up the court against The College of William & Mary at the John A. Daskalakis Center. Nacickate scored a game-high 21 points in the Dragons 72-43 win.

Three seconds separated the team from winning their hard-fought battle against the University of Delaware, the top team in the Colonial Athletic Association.

With just 2.3 seconds left in the second half, Delaware star Elena Delle Donne found the net to give her team a heartbreaking 40-39 win over the Dragons Feb. 19 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Throughout the first half, the Dragons had trouble with consistency on offense.

“Offensively we didn’t do so well,” head coach Denise Dillon said. “We struggled a bit from the field, and a credit to their defense — both teams are recognized for the strong defense we each play. But I don’t feel we took advantage of some situations we had. I thought we had some easy looks early on, and we didn’t knock them down.”

The Dragons were just 4-for-23 from the field and only managed to score 11 points. With that said the Dragons had an impressive showing on defense, holding Delle Donne to her worst offensive performance of the season with 12 points.

The Dragons also held the Blue Hens to just 40 points after the team scored no fewer than 60 points per game all season. Not to mention, Drexel’s one-point loss to Delaware was the closest any team has come to defeating the Blue Hens this year.

“We were playing aggressive defense, so we gave ourselves a chance,” Dillon said.

Entering the second half, Drexel trailed 11-20 and needed to hone in and amp up the energy level in order to make any sort of progress. Within minutes of the second, Kamile Nacickaite and Tyler Hale added a combined six points in a row for Drexel, making it a four-point game at 20-24.

After both teams exchanged baskets, the score leveled off at 28-26 for nearly five minutes of play. Delle Donne responded with a basket, giving both teams a wake-up call.

Once the score hit 32-28, the tides began to turn. Ayana Lee hit three of four free throws to slash Delaware’s lead to just one point. Almost immediately after Lee’s efforts, Hollie Mershon charged down the court for a well-deserved and necessary layup followed by a successful free throw. With that the Dragons took a two-point lead with less than five minutes left in play.

In a nail-biting final few minutes, Mershon single-handedly battled Delle Donne and Lauren Carra offensively to keep the Dragons ahead. Unfortunately, Mershon’s efforts were not enough, as Delle Donne hit a free throw with 25 seconds left in play, followed by a leaner with 2.3 seconds left to clinch the win for her team.

This win solidified Delaware’s No. 1 seed in the CAA Tournament and kept their undefeated record alive.

Coming into the game against The College of William & Mary Feb. 23 at the DAC, the Dragons knew they had to pull out a big win — and that’s just what they did.

“One of the biggest things I was pleased with was [how] the girls responded tonight,” Dillon said. “They came back with the same mentality of knowing we are going to count on our defense night in and night out, and then let’s see what happens on the offensive end.”

Marisa Crane got the game started by rebounding a missed shot from W&M and passing it to Taylor Wootton, who put the first points on the board.

A series of back-and-forth scoring between both teams followed throughout the first few minutes of play — the Dragons would find the basket, and the Tribe would answer.

Though the Tribe managed to keep up with the Dragons at first, their efforts were short-lived. Once the score hit 6-6, the Dragons started to run away with the game.

Drexel began to slow down the pace offensively, which helped them find their rhythm. With quick passes and successful shooting, the Dragons were up 15-6 in no time.

With less than 10 minutes left to play, the Tribe cut Drexel’s lead to 27-17. And sadly for W&M, their 10-point deficit would be the closest they would get to the Dragons throughout the half and the contest.

In the final three minutes of the first, Renee Johnson-Allen put her first points on the board, taking the Dragons to 41-22. Moments later Wootton hit her shot for three, giving the Dragons a 20-point lead and closing the half at 44-24.

“We executed well tonight — I thought we moved the ball,” Dillon said. “My favorite stat was the 24 assists on 29 field goals, so you just saw more team basketball on the offensive end.”

Drexel picked up where they left off in the second, with Wootton making a basket and taking the score to 46-24.

Throughout the rest of the game, the Dragons barely gave the Tribe any leeway. With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Nacickaite hit a three, bringing the Dragons’ lead to 61-39.

After a few back-and-forth shots, Drexel wrapped up the contest with a resounding 72-43 win.

If beating a team by nearly 30 points doesn’t say “CAA Tournament, here we come!” Who knows what does?

“We are talking about controlling our own destiny, and that started with tonight’s game,” Dillon said. “The last few [games] are huge for us trying to get that top-four spot.”

The Dragons are set to take on Towson University Feb. 26 in Towson, Md. This contest, along with the final regular season game against Virginia Commonwealth University, will determine whether or not the Dragons get a bye in the first round of the CAA Tournament.

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Senior guard Kamile Nacickaite rises up to shoot a layup through a sea of UNCW defenders.

The Drexel women’s basketball team is in its final stretch of the season with the postseason waiting around the corner. In what thus far has been an inconsistent season, the Dragons entered last week with only six games remaining.

They got off to a good start in the final stretch, defeating The College of William & Mary 78-59 on the road Feb. 12. The win bumped their record over .500 once again and improved their record in the Colonial Athletic Association to 8-5.

The leading contributor in points to the Dragons’ single-game season-high was Kamile Nacickaite with 24. The senior, along with fellow senior Tyler Hale, helped Drexel shoot over 50 percent from the floor. Forward Taylor Wootton chipped in with four threes as well.

Utilizing a strong, deep rotation, the Dragons received scoring contributions from 10 different players, and that was with senior guard Marisa Crane out of action with a knee injury. Head coach Denise Dillon attributed part of the success to the rotation — to her it’s only part of the good game.

“We played a really good game offensively and defensively,” Dillon said. “We talked about it at halftime; we were focused on putting two good halves of basketball together.”

Drexel held the Tribe’s leading scorer, Janine Aldridge, to only three points all game, something that pleased Dillon.

And with the win, Dillon moved into a tie for most all-time wins in Drexel women’s basketball program history.

“I’m excited, honored and happy for the program,” Dillon said about the achievement. “It’s great to be recognized, and it’s great for the coaching staff. The staff has been together for years.”

Dillon continued to make and break records as the Dragons pulled out a huge second-half win against Old Dominion University Feb. 16 in Norfolk, Va.

This win brings the Dragons’ CAA record to 9-5.

Drexel got off to a rough start and couldn’t manage to catch up to ODU throughout the whole first half. The only players to score during the first were Mershon, Flanagan, Hale and Ayana Lee — giving Drexel a total of 13 points for the half.

Entering the second, the Dragons were down by 14 points but came out of the locker room recharged and ready to compete. In an effort catalyzed by Hale, they scored the first 13 out of 15 points, bringing the score to 26-29 in no time.

After a timeout, ODU responded to Drexel’s pressure with a three-pointer, which was immediately followed by a three-pointer by Nacickaite. And with that, the momentum continued to swing in Drexel’s direction.

With just under 10 minutes left, the Dragons got within two points of the Monarchs at 37-39. It seemed as though that was the confidence boost that the Dragons needed to take it to the next level — and with a three-pointer from Mershon, Drexel took the lead for the first time in the game at 40-39 with just 5:39 left in play.

Minutes later, after a fast break from Mershon, the Dragons gained their largest lead of the game at 47-43.

The Dragons would hold the lead for the rest of the contest, defeating ODU 53-45. This brings Dillon’s career record to 145-122, which surpasses Lil Haas, giving her the title of Drexel women’s basketball’s all-time winningest coach.

Moving forward toward the CAA playoffs, the Dragons are set to face the University of Delaware Feb. 19. The Blue Hens will enter the game as the No. 10 team in the nation, boasting a record of 22-1. They are unbeaten in 13 conference games. In their matchup a month ago, Drexel fell victim to one of Delaware’s many wins with a 60-49 loss in Newark, Del. Jan 22.

It will be one of three remaining games for the home schedule, and the final home games in the careers of the four seniors. The next one will come again a few days after the Delaware matchup Feb. 23 against the same William & Mary team.

“It’ll be important to come to the DAC to see our seniors,” Dillon said. “We would love to have students a part of [the final few home games].”

Drexel has struggled at the DAC this season, only able to pull out four wins in their 10 home games. By comparison, they went 12-2 on their home court last season. It is something that has frustrated the team, but also something on which they will look to improve.

The women’s team is hoping for the same success, as well as the buzz and excitement that is currently around their colleagues on the men’s team, which is undefeated at the DAC. It certainly has caught the attention of Dillon and her team.

“We’re excited to see the success and want to be a part of it,” Dillon explained. “[The women on the team] recognize what the men are doing and want to go and do it themselves.”

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Drexel junior forward Nicole Jones posts up with the ball under the basket during the Dragons 52-60 loss to Long Island at the DAC Nov. 11. Jones had six points and four boards.

“It seems like the longest year in history of trying to accomplish that,” Dillon said.

Her Dragons fell 56-51 to James Madison University in a nail-biting overtime game Feb. 9 at the DAC.

The game was a game of runs for the Dragons (11-11, 7-5 Colonial Athletic Association). JMU jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but the Dragons tightened up on the defensive end and were able to go on an 11-0 run, led by Tyler Hale’s six points and capped off by a Fiona Flanagan three-pointer, extending the Drexel lead to 13-7, which caused JMU coach Kenny Brooks to take a timeout with just under 10 minutes to go in the first half.

After the timeout, the Dukes (18-5, 9-3 CAA) were determined to swing the momentum back in their favor, and they did. They were able to get open looks in the paint, which sparked an 8-0 run and put them ahead 15-13 with 3:48 to go.

Dillon attributed the streaky game to defense.

“Both teams are known for their defense,” she said. “So you are going to run into games like that.”

Forward Lauren Whitehurst scored four points during the run. The Dragons didn’t falter, and the physical first half ended with the teams trading buckets and going into the locker room with JMU up 19-18.

James Madison came out firing to start the second half, jumping out to a 30-24 lead in the first five minutes. However, the Dragons hung tough, not letting the game get too out of hand.

With eight minutes to go and the Dukes leading 38-30, the Dragons took off on another 11-0 run, taking the lead 41-38. Drexel could not slam the door on the Dukes, though, and with 28 seconds left and nine seconds separating the shot clock and game clock, the Dragons had the ball. Hollie Mershon took the ball at the top of the key and drove baseline right, missing a contested shot. The Dukes got the rebound and missed a half-court heave, sending the game to overtime.

“I thought it was the safest play,” Dillon said. “You want the ball in Hollie’s hands at that point.”

Drexel began the overtime with two turnovers and could not recover after that. JMU had an eight-point lead, but the Dragons didn’t quit, cutting it to three at one point before losing 56-51.

“They were relentless; they didn’t quit,” Dillon said. “I felt that we looked sluggish and they didn’t.”

There were two key stats to the game. The Dragons were out rebounded 59-41, and although they played in the paint and were able to drive the lane, the Dragons did not attempt a free throw until overtime, while JMU attempted 25 free throws.

“The only reason we were able to stay in the game is because they missed them,” Dillon said of the Dukes, who shot a lowly 40 percent from the charity stripe.

Mershon finished with 17 points, and Kamile Nacickaite had 12 to pace the Dragons. Tarik Hislop, one of the top scorers in the CAA, finished with 22 for the Dukes.

Next up for the Dragons is a trip to Williamsburg, Va. Feb. 12 to take on The College of William & Mary at 2 p.m.

“We will really need to stay focused on the defensive end,” Dillon said of the upcoming road trip.

William & Mary has had its struggles this season with a record of 9-14overall and just 2-10 in the CAA. The Tribe has four players averaging double figures in scoring and a team average of 72 points per game, so the Dragons’ defense will need to be extra sharp so as not to allow William & Mary to sneak up on them.

After their trip to Williamsburg, the Dragons will return to Virginia Feb. 16 for a bout with Old Dominion University in Norfolk at 7 p.m. ODU has struggled as well this year with a mark of 8-16 overall and 5-7 in the CAA. The Monarchs, however, possess one of the most dominant players in the CAA in Tia Lewis. She is averaging over 18 points and nine rebounds per game.

“For the first time in my career, I’m looking forward to getting on the road,” Dillon said regarding her team’s recent woes at home, where the team has now dropped three in a row. “This team, for some reason, is a little more focused on the road.”

The Dragons will need to show their focus on the road to get these two absolutely critical CAA wins.

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Drexel junior forward/guard Hollie Mershon positions herself on defense during the Dragons 60-52 loss to the Long Island University Blackhawks at the DAC Nov. 11 during a preseason WNIT matchup.

The contest started out neck-in-neck. By the 10-minute mark the score was separated by two baskets, with Hofstra (15-5, 7-2 Colonial Athletic Association) in the lead 19-15. Although Drexel was trailing, they quickly resurrected the score, all stemming from a single play.

Marisa Crane dodged Hofstra’s defense and got the ball to Kamile Nacickaite, who instantly sunk a three-pointer. In the process, Nacickaite was fouled by a Pride player, and as a result added another point for her team, bringing the score to a 19-19 tie.

From that point on, the Dragons went on an impressive 14-0 run that lasted nearly five minutes of play. Drexel (10-10, 6-4 CAA) would continue to hold its lead for the duration of the half. Both teams headed to the locker rooms with the Dragons ahead 37-29.

Though this lead appeared to be an indication of a winning second half for Drexel, the momentum changed when Hofstra came out of the locker room, going on a 17-4 run.

“I keep saying, ‘Make something happen instead of expecting it to happen,’” head coach Denise Dillon said. “We have to go out there with a mentality that I am going to make a stop; I am going to make a play on the offensive end. I think we just take it for granted that it happened in the first half, and hey, let’s see what happens in the second.”

Even with the scoring jolt from the Pride, Drexel managed to inch its way back into the game and tie the score at 41 apiece. That tie would soon fall through as Hofstra scored five points in a row and gained a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the contest.

Regardless of the final outcome, Drexel never gave up. With less than five minutes left on the clock, Taylor Wootton sank one free throw, bringing the Dragons within a point of the Pride at 56-57. After Wootton’s point, the opportunity came for Drexel to regain the lead, but turnovers and missed chances translated into more success for Hofstra.

Hofstra would conclude the game by handing Drexel a devastating CAA loss with a final score of 68-61.

Though the blue and gold came away with a loss, they also took away some solid shooting figures. Nacickaite ended with 22 points, with Hollie Mershon not far behind at 15 and Tyler Hale with 12.

And the successful shooting carried into Drexel’s game against George Mason, where the Dragons started off strong but fell to the Patriots in another tough loss.

“Against Hofstra I thought we continued to battle, and that’s the frustrating thing,” Dillon said. “Identify yourself as a team that is not going to quit; I think we kind of quit [against GMU].”

The game started off a little slow, but after two minutes of a scoreless game, the Dragons woke up and began doing work. Nacickaite got the scoring started for her team by sinking a basket, and Wootton followed right behind her, bringing the score to 4-0 Dragons.

Moments later Mershon was fouled and went 2-for-2 at the line. With Drexel holding a 6-0 lead, it appeared as though the Patriots (11-10, 5-5 CAA) weren’t making any leeway until Rahneeka Saunders put them on the board with just over 15 minutes left in the half.

Saunders lit a fire under her team because in the blink of an eye, the score was tied at six apiece. But as fast as the Patriots lit a fire, the Dragons blew it out with consistent scoring and stellar defense.

After the first few minutes of play, the Dragons really started to get their defense, which has been working so well for them all season, back in action and working in their favor.

With the clock at just over six minutes and the score at 24-13 in Drexel’s favor after a three-pointer by Mershon, George Mason had a lot of catching up to do if they wanted to get themselves back in the game and have a chance to pull out a win. And though they tried, the half closed in Drexel’s favor at 31-23.

“In the first half, things went well but I still felt defensively we had some questions, just not turning it up a notch,” Dillon said. “Then the second half we come out and [Taleia] Moton took over, and we shot extremely bad from the field.”

The second half started off with missed shots by both teams, and it wasn’t until the Patriots’ Janaa Pickard hit a three-pointer that the scoring got started. Just minutes later, GMU managed to tighten the score to get within just one point of the Dragons at 38-39.

Little did Drexel know this was just the beginning of GMU’s surge. Five minutes later, the Patriots took the lead for the first time in the contest.

Within moments GMU began to run away with the game. Thus far in the half, the Dragons had only scored 10 points while the Patriots had more than doubled their score with 22 points.

You can stay in the game with good defense, but you can’t win without offense, and the Dragons learned that the hard way this evening.

“We have talked so much about the importance of every game at this point,” Dillon stated. “It is playoff atmosphere, and you have to figure out how to maintain your position or advance, and these are the games you have to take care of. [Tonight] we certainly didn’t come out with playoff mentality.”

As the game neared an end, Drexel’s super fan Calvin Hicks got up to leave the arena. Members of the peanut gallery asked him why he was leaving, and he responded, “Because they are not winning,” and at the end of the day, isn’t that what really counts? No matter how much pride we have for our team, and no matter how much we believe in them, if they don’t come away with a win, then what’s the point of being a fan?

I will tell you the point: When all is said and done, the DAC Pack is still booing the opponent at the line and is still cheering for the Dragons until they are blue in the face. The real moral of the story is to stick with your team through good and bad and hope like hell they pull off a win.

For this competition it didn’t happen for the Dragons, and after a series of missed shots, poor defense and half-hearted plays, Drexel fell to the Patriots 51-56.

The Dragons’ next competitors? The Northeastern University Huskies.

“The tough thing is we beat Northeastern convincingly at home, and it’s tough to play at their place while they are playing some good basketball,” Dillon said. “So you just hope as a coach that we didn’t hit our stride in January and now we are hitting our slide in February.”

The Dragons take on the Huskies Feb. 5 in Boston. Now let’s see them get a win.

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Drexel senior guard/forward Kamile Nacickaite dribbles the ball past a University of North Carolina-Wilmington defender at the top of the three-point line during a game at the John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center. Nacickaite leads the Dragons with 17.3 points a game.

Drexel pulled off a huge win against Virginia Commonwealth University Jan. 26 after falling to the University of Delaware Blue Hens just days prior.

The Dragons fought a tough battle against the No. 16 Blue Hens Jan. 16 but unfortunately came up short. The 60-49 defeat took place at the Bob Carpenter Center in front of a sold-out crowd. Among the fans was Vice President Joe Biden, who happens to be a former Delaware graduate. No pressure, right?

From the start, the cards seemed to be stacked against Drexel — with a packed crowd of Delaware fans and Colonial Athletic Association preseason Player of the Year Elena Delle Donne on their roster, the Blue Hens were in control. Yet the Dragons didn’t give up — in fact, at times throughout the game, Drexel gave them a run for their money.

The Blue Hens came off the bench with guns blazing. They quickly went on a 10—0 run led by Lauren Carra within the first five minutes of play.

Amid a start of constant missed shots and turnovers, Marisa Crane broke her team’s shooting dry spell by hitting a three-pointer.

Seeing as Delaware and Drexel are the top two defenses in the CAA, both teams were guarding the glass and standing their ground as the game progressed. In fact, the Dragons would finish the contest outrebounding the Blue Hens 41-36.

Within the last 10 minutes of the half, Delaware had a hefty 20-10 lead. In an effort to tighten the score, Kamile Nacickaite hit a jumper and catalyzed a 6-0 run for the Dragons.

After much back-and-forth shooting from both teams, Tyler Hale hit a layup and brought her team within just two points of the Hens at 20-22 with just over two minutes left in the half. This would prove to be as close as the Dragons would get to Delaware for the duration of the game.

Delle Donne ended the half with a jumper, sending both teams to the locker rooms with a score of 24-20.

After halftime, the Blue Hens picked up where they left off. Within just five minutes the Blue Hens took a nine-point lead at 33-24.

Even after that resounding start, slowly but surely, the Dragons clawed their way back into the game. With key points made by Taylor Wootton, Hale, Nacickaite and Mershon, who hit a big three-pointer, Drexel was back in the game, trailing only by three points at 36-33 with just over 10 minutes left.

For the duration, the Blue Hens would continue hold close to a 10-point lead, finishing the game 60-49, ending the Dragons’ 4-game winning streak and giving them their second conference loss of the season.

Although the Dragons came up short against the Blue Hens, they pulled out a huge 47-41 win against VCU on Ram turf. This contest was the 19th meeting between the two conference rivals and the 8th win for the Dragons, bringing their record against VCU to 8-11 all-time.

This game not only provided the Dragons with a necessary ego boost after a tough loss against Delaware, but more importantly, it improved Drexel’s record to 6-2, tying them for second place in the CAA with Hofstra University and James Madison University.

That said, the matchup was not easy, seeing as Drexel was facing two preseason First Team All-CAA players in Courtney Hurt and Andrea Barbour — but the Dragons were prepared. The team knew that tight defense was essential to stop the duo.
“VCU has tough players, and we focused on them and tried to make other players make big plays,” Nacickaite said. “We were focusing on Courtney Hurt because she averages 22 points a game, so we didn’t let her get as many points, and we did that well.”

The Dragons accomplished that goal by holding Hurt to a mere nine points.

With that said, the win was anything but an easy accomplishment. The Dragons were only shooting 31.5 percent from the field, keeping the score extremely tight throughout the contest.

Drexel finished the half just two points above the Rams at 21-19.

Head coach Denise Dillon said that she laid into her players during halftime to get them motivated and ready to pull out a victory. Whatever she said must have worked because the Dragons played a strong second half.

Amid the tight contest, the Dragons surged and made things really exciting in the final moments of play. With a five-point lead with less than a minute to play, both teams were on pins and needles.

Marissa Crane was forced to go to the free-throw line and capitalized with big shots.

Fortunately for the Dragons, Hurt and Barbour failed to make last-minute attempts for points, and the Dragons walked away with a huge 47-41 win.

During the game, individual players really stepped up for the Dragons — besides the usual faces in Nacickaite, Mershon and Hale, sophomore Fiona Flanagan reached her career high of 10 points.

As Nacickaite said, “We are focusing on the team right now in practices and making sure that everybody is a scorer.”

This win gave the Dragons their fifth road victory of the year, tying their total from 2010-11. Next, the Drexel is set to face Hofstra Jan. 29 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at 2 p.m.

As Dillon puts it, the team will enjoy its big win against VCU while still being aware of its extremely anticipated contest against Hofstra coming up in just days.

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Northeastern came into the game against Drexel having lost four of its last five. The Huskies are just 1-7 on the road and 0-2 on the road in the CAA. The Dragons have controlled this head-to-head series as of late, winning the last six tilts and not falling to the Huskies at home since 2000.

The Huskies won the tip and drew first blood with a long two. Senior Tyler Hale answered on the next possession with a good move in the lane. With the score 2-2, the Dragons had an impressive but fruitless offensive possession, resulting in four offensive rebounds and no points. Drexel’s defense was stout, forcing Northeastern to shoot mostly three-pointers. The Huskies were finally able to drain a three to take an early 2-5 lead. Senior Ayana Lee answered the Huskies’ three with a layup to bring the Dragons within one. The Huskies drained two more threes, which prompted head coach Denise Dillon to change her strategy.

“We were in zone at first, and our coach decided to go straight man so they wouldn’t get the easy looks on the outside,” junior Taylor Wootton said during the postgame interview.

The teams traded baskets for most of the early stages of the first half. Drexel started to pull away when Hale hit a jumper with four minutes remaining in the half. Soon after, Mershon was fouled after making a layup. She sank the free throw to put Drexel ahead 25-18.In the waning minutes of the first half, the Dragons made some impressive defensive stands and only allowed two points in the final two and a half minutes. At the intermission the Dragons led 33-20.The second half was more of the same for the Dragons, as their size proved to be too much for the Huskies. By the midway point of the second half, the Dragons led 48-32 with a majority of their points coming in the paint. With 6:35 remaining in the game, Mershon made a big steal after a missed shot by Wootton. The Dragons converted the turnover into two points, putting them up 56-32. Drexel dominated the rest of the game, finishing with a final score of 66-39.After the game both the coach and players agreed that the defensive adjustment made early in the first half shifted the momentum and made the real difference in the game.

“I was upset, early in the game, all the threes we gave up,” Dillon said. “But we had the adjustment and the girls responded. Once we took them out of that game, the threes, it made it harder [on Northeastern].”

The Dragons had four players with double-digit points. Both Nacickaite and Hale had game highs with 14 points. Mershon had six rebounds and 13 points.

Wootton also really thrived against the undersized Huskies in the second half.

“They weren’t a really big team; their two post players were on the bench, so I tried to take advantage of that,” Wootton said.

Wootton finished the game with 10 points, six of which came in the second half, and four offensive rebounds.

The Dragons are back in action Jan. 22 against No. 16 University of Delaware. Drexel knows the challenge of facing a ranked opponent, but they know that there is a possibility they could steal one.

“It’s early in the year. You don’t get too worked up with positioning right now, especially with the stretch we have coming up,” Dillon said. “I just talked to the girls about it, Sunday’s game is a game we’d love to steal, but we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We try to take care of the games we have a chance of winning, and we’re doing that.”

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Kamile Nacickaite takes the ball to the rim against Long Island University. Nacickaite has earned tenth all-time for Drexel.

While most Drexel students were home with their families over winter break, the women’s basketball team (7-7, Colonial Athletic Association 3-1) was tearing up the court against various opponents. With two triumphant CAA wins sandwiching one conference and 4 four non-conference losses, the women are ready to put their best feet forward to face their toughest competitors yet.

“We have definitely had some ups and downs this season,” head coach Denise Dillon said. “But one thing the team continues to do is work hard and put forth the effort to be successful. With that continued effort we will pull out some tough wins.”

The Dragons’ conference play began Dec. 4 against the University of North CarolinaWilmington. After previously losing to St. Joseph’s University in a tight battle, the team stepped it up for a big 58-43 win in Wilmington, N.C.

From the start, Drexel had command of the game, both offensively and defensively. Mimicking her performance against the University of Pittsburgh, Kamile Nacickaite scored fast and early. She led the team with 17 points overall, while teammates Hollie Mershon, who had 16, and Taylor Wootton, who put away 10 points, were not far behind.

With Drexel’s prominent defense, the Seahawks were held to just 13 points in the first half. Although UNCW gained momentum in the second, they still finished the day shooting below 30 percent from the floor, while Drexel hit close to 50 percent.

In the final minutes of play, Dillon made sure that she cleared her bench at least once, and 11 of the 12 women snagged one or more rebounds.

After defeating the Seahawks, the Dragons faced Seton Hall University Dec. 12. in South Orange, N.J, only to fall to the Pirates 64-77.

Even with Nacickaite and Mershon’s combined 42 points, their efforts on offense weren’t enough to conceal the team’s poor performance on defense.

The contest started out neck-and-neck, with both teams hitting their shots from all positions of the court.  With less than 10 minutes left in the first half, Nicole Jones made a lay-up, bringing the score to 20 apiece.

This closeness in score was short-lived, seeing as Seton Hall almost instantly went on an 11-0 run against the Dragons, finishing the half 45-29 and giving themselves a lead that Drexel ultimately couldn’t catch up to.

Coming out of half time, the Pirates picked up where they left off, consequently leaving the Dragons in the dust. With time on their side, Seton Hall did their best to run out the clock and make last minute passes and shots. Once Drexel got wind of the Pirates game plan, they began pressing the defense.

Although it was a good effort, it was too little too late, and the Pirates took the gold in this match-up.

The Dragons walked away with a loss, but Nacickaite finished by moving into 12th place for all-time scoring at Drexel with a total of 1,223 career points. She has since bumped up her ranking to 10th all-time.

As Dillon puts it, “As a player, [Kamile] has now made a mark on our program, which puts her in a category with so many other talented players who have been part of our success over the years.”

Next, the Dragons took on the La Salle Explorers at the Daskalakis Athletic Center for their first home game in 38 days.

Once again the game started off tight, with both teams making solid shots. Both the Dragons and the Explorers managed to evenly distribute their energy and consistency in shooting throughout the whole game, not just one half in particular.

Wootton had a personal career high of 20 points which couldn’t have come at a better time. Without her perseverance around the net, it is possible that this game would have a very different outcome. Teammate Ayana Lee also reached a career high of nine points throughout the contest.

With a lot of back-and-forth scoring, it wasn’t until the last few minutes that the Dragons really stole the show. With just over 10 seconds to play, Abby Redick went to the line to shoot two and sank both free throws, giving her team a 72-59 win.

The 72 points scored is the largest number thus far this season. This ego boost was unfortunately short-lived, since the Dragons proceeded to lose their following four consecutive matchups.

“We put together a challenging out of conference schedule to prepare us for the CAA,” Dillon said. “You never want to give up four in a row. It’s a good reminder for me and the team every time we step on the floor…we continue to emphasize the importance of staying consistent with our game plan.  The team is doing a better job of working together, which results in better basketball.”

All four losses were extremely close, including their overtime battle against the University of Pennsylvania, in which they fell to the Quakers 65-67 Dec. 22.

Shortly after, Drexel lost two back-to-back home games. First, the Dragons fell to the University of South Carolina 58-62 Dec. 28, and just three days later suffered a tough 51-63 loss against Princeton University.

Even after experiencing three tough losses, the Dragons had hoped to come up with a big win against conference competitor Hofstra University, but to no avail.

Drexel traveled to Hempstead, N.Y. to kick off 2012 on a positive note, only to find themselves losing to Hofstra 65-76 Jan. 5.

This marked their first, and thus far only, CAA loss of the 2011-12 season.

Thanks to the efforts of Mershon, Nacickaite and Wootton, who each had double figures, the Dragons kept up with the Pride throughout the first half, and even surpassed them for a brief moment — a very brief moment.

“We remind Kamile, Hollie and Taylor to work on making others better which will help us be better,” Dillon said. “For us to be successful it has to be a total team effort.”

Once the Pride got wind of Drexel’s attack, they began to pick up the pace and level of play, leaving the Dragons unable to keep up with the fast-paced consistency of their opponents.

For the duration of the contest, Hofstra had a hefty lead and ended up defeating the Dragons by 11 points.

Now bringing the tally to four consecutive losses, Drexel used their home-court advantage against Towson University Jan. 8 to pull out a big and long-awaited win.

Although the Tigers put the first two points on the board, it would prove to be their only lead throughout the rest of the game. Nacickaite proceeded to score the first 11 points for her team, finishing the day with 19. She also added to her list of accolades by becoming just the third player in Drexel history to reach and surpass the 200 mark for three-pointers, and also holds the title of most efficient three-point shooter with a .411 career average.

Nacickaite’s strong play proved to be contagious. Eleven of the 12 Dragons scored points against the Tigers, including sophomore Tory Thierolf’s first field goal, as well as freshman Tiffany Johnson’s first collegiate field goal.

In addition to their list of firsts, Drexel shot 70 percent from beyond the arc, and made seven three-point shots, both reaching and exceeding this season’s records.

The Dragons can also attribute their win to aggressive and successful rebounding. Drexel entered the contest ranked last in the CAA for rebounding percentage, and ultimately out-rebounded Towson, who were previously ranked second in the CAA for their efficiency.

Drexel finished the game with almost twice the amount of points as the Tigers, 66-38. And the positive momentum doesn’t stop there.

The Dragons took on the extremely talented players of James Madison University Jan. 12 on the Dukes’ turf, and walked away with a huge win.

“JMU is the two time defending CAA champs,” Dillon said. “There is not much more motivation that can be used when you are playing a team that has consistently shown they play at a high level.”

It appeared to be motivation enough for Drexel. The team started off a little slow with countless turnovers and missed shots, ending the half trailing 17-25.

The glimmer of hope entering the second was the fact that Mershon made the last two baskets of the first, giving her team a boost of motivation for a more constructive half.

Coming into the second, Drexel scored six points back-to-back and took the lead for what turned out to be the rest of the game.

As Dillon put it, “Our mantra is to play Drexel basketball which includes the following: discipline, focus and controlling the tempo, which ultimately puts us in a position to be a contender in every game when we step onto the floor.”

Throughout the whole second half, Drexel exhibited all that encompasses their mantra, and completely broke down the usually powerful and efficient JMU team.

Drexel finished the game with a resounding score of 60-43, brining their record to 3-1 in the conference.

Next the Dragons take on Georgia State University Jan. 15 at home at 2p.m.

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Drexel senior guard Kamile Nacickaite takes the ball to the basket against a Long Island University defender during the Dragons 52-60 loss to the Blackbirds in the first round of the WNIT.

After falling to LIU, head coach Denise Dillon and her coaching staff gave their team a wakeup call that evidently worked. Going into their consolation match against Detroit, the Dragons were off to a rocky start. They knew to stay focused and were determined to pull out their first win of the season.

The Titans snagged a quick lead early on and went up 11-4 just three minutes into the contest, but they couldn’t hold it for long. Shortly after Detroit’s scoring frenzy, the Dragons had a run of their own. With one of their star players, Kamile Nacickaite, benched for early fouls, the team stepped up and scored 13 straight points, stealing the lead right back from the Titans.

Some of the key players to contribute to Drexel’s run were Taylor Wootton, who would finish the contest with 14 points; Tyler Hale, who would also finish with 14 points; and Hollie Mershon.

“Taylor Wootton and Tyler Hale have become more involved on the offensive end,” Dillon said. “For us to be successful, we need three scores in double figures.”

The productive offense wasn’t Drexel’s only strong suit of the day — it was also their dominating defense. Leading the defensive pack was sophomore guard Fiona Flanagan, who entered the game when Nacickaite was benched. She held off the Titans, who typically excel on their offense, and gave her team breathing room to move the ball down the court. Assisting with the defense was also redshirt-freshman Jackie Schluth, Hale and Wootton.

As the game came close to the end, the Titans weaseled their way within three points of the Dragons’ lead. But Drexel didn’t let the pressure overcome them. Instead they remained calm, continued scoring and earned their first win of the season, 61-56.

Just a day later, the Dragons defeated Akron 67-60 with help from Nacickaite. She was off the bench and back on the court doing what she does best — putting points on the board.

Similar to their game against Detroit, the Dragons fell into an early deficit of eight points. Even though Drexel wasn’t offensively prominent in the first half, shooting just 26.9 percent from the floor, they kept themselves in the game with strong coverage defensively. They finished the half down 24-19 but outrebounded Akron 22-18 and managed to bring themselves within just five points of the Zips.

Coming out of halftime, Drexel entered the game with one goal in mind — to win. Nacickaite scored a career-high 33 points, 25 of which were scored during the second half. Along with the 25 points that Nacickaite put up, her teammates combined added 23 points, totaling 48, which is the most points the Dragons have scored in the second half this season.

Though it was a tight battle, the Dragons closed out the game, giving themselves the ego boost they needed to face Pitt.

Entering their third road game of the season, the Dragons were coming off a high note and were ready to scorch the Panthers.

Nacickaite came out on fire, hitting a three-pointer in the game’s first minute. That was just the start for the talented senior. She scored 13 of Drexel’s first 15 points against the Panthers and finished the game with a total of 23 points — the largest amount any player has scored against Pitt since last January. Maya Moore of Connecticut put up 28.

Joining her in double figures were Mershon, Wooton and Hale, who also earned the team’s first double-double of the year with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Once again the Dragons used their strong suit against Pitt, their defense. The team held the Panthers to just 33.3 percent of shots from the floor during the game.

The Dragons made their mark against the Panthers and closed the game just shy of 20 points ahead at 71-50.

“Pitt was a great road win,” Dillon said. “They have a successful program in one of the top conferences in the country. We came out focused with great understanding of our game plan.”

Finally, Drexel competed against neighboring competitor St. Joe’s. Unfortunately the Hawks cut the Dragons’ winning streak short, as Drexel fell 59-50 on the Hawks’ turf.

Although the Dragons were in the competition early on, they were unable to keep up with the Hawks as they took an 8-0 run and didn’t let Drexel get back in the game.

“We missed some easy looks early, which led to missed defensive assignments,” Dillon said. “We continued to play disruptive and forced some tough shots as opposed to working together to create easier scoring opportunities.”

Mershon contributed half of the points scored during the first half, putting up 10 of their 20 points. She finished the game with a team-high 20.

Coming into the second half, the Dragons trailed 20-31. Though they outrebounded the Hawks 42-36, they couldn’t make up for their lack of offensive consistency.

Up next, the Dragons face their first conference competition against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

“Sunday’s game against UNCW is our biggest game of the year,” Dillon said. “We play our out-of-conference games to prepare us for the CAA. We need to be ready for their defensive pressure and their ability to score the ball quickly. Transition Defense and executing our half-court offense will be our main focus at practice this week.”

The Dragons will face the Seahawks at 1 p.m. Dec. 4 in Wilmington, N.C.

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Drexel junior guard/forward Hollie Mershon drives the ball to the basket from outside the three-point line during her 26-point performance against LIU at the DAC Nov. 11.

The Drexel women’s basketball team suffered a painful 60-52 loss in their season opener at home against Long Island University Nov. 11. This matchup took place during the first round of the Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

The Dragons (0-1) were not only out-rebounded 24-12; they were also outscored, as they only hit 4-for-23 in the field during the first half.

“It’s early, we don’t know that team, they don’t know us — so you have to adapt, you have to adjust as the game is going on, and we did not,” Head Coach Denise Dillon said. “In the first half we did not make the adjustments. Once we had them pushing and shoving, we did not adjust. We kind of crumbled.”

At the start of the game, Tyler Hale made two of two at the line, bringing the score to two apiece. This would be the only time the Dragons would tie with the Blackbirds throughout the rest of the showing.

From that point on, Long Island dominated the game. They consistently played strong defense and equally impressive offense. They took advantage of the Dragons’ slow start and attacked the basket every opportunity they had.

LIU even held Drexel to a 10-2 deficit before the Dragons scored another basket, which happened almost 10 minutes into the half. Drexel’s offense was missing easy shots, and the defense was sleeping.

“Defensively I was infuriated about the rebounding — that to me is just lack of effort at that point. So there are certain things that you can control in the game, and I always think defense is the No. 1 part,” Dillon said. “Some days you are going to be hot, and some days you are going to be cold, but you have got to stick to the defensive end.”

Closing the half, the only Dragons to score baskets were Hale, Kamile Nacickaite, Marisa Crane, Hollie Mershon and Ayana Lee.

After an embarrassing first half, the Dragons went to the locker room knowing that Long Island had the lead at 27-12.

“I was fired up in the locker room. I was extremely disappointed with how we came out. I laid into them and just explained that there are certain things that you can control,” Dillon said. “I keep talking to them about the purpose. Make or miss a shot, recognize that it was the right shot or the right pass. So if you see that, then it will carry over, and you will continue to get looks and work your way out of [a slump].”

Although Dillon tried to motivate her team to liven up for the second half, the motivation and excitement was ultimately not enough to make up for their poor performance in the first.

Dillon even cleared her bench multiple times.

“I was just trying to get a rise out of them,” she said. “Just trying to get the energy going — the understanding going and get everyone involved. When things aren’t working you have to go to something different.”

Every player was in the game for at least one minute. But of all the players who participated in the LIU game, one made a significant difference for Drexel.

Mershon scored a total of 18 points in the second half alone, bringing her game total to 26 points — her personal career high. Mershon helped her team finish with a respectable score, earning half of the team’s total points herself. Not to mention she also finished with six rebounds — one offensive and five defensive — two assists, one block and two steals.

“Hollie has been consistent since day one here, and that’s what we talk about with all the players. If you can be consistent in what you do, with all your training and at practice, then it carries over into the game,” Dillon said. “She is just gutty. She is one of those players who wants to win so badly that she is going to leave it all out there. And I hope that passes on to the rest of her teammates.”

Unfortunately, her fellow teammate and point guard, Crane, didn’t have such a successful showing. After missing a good chunk of the 2010-11 season due to an injury and not participating in the first two scrimmages of this season, Crane was a little rusty.

She played for 24 minutes, and during that time she had a total of two points, one assist, one steal and three rebounds. It appeared as though her control over the game wasn’t the strongest, but that has to do with regaining experience and confidence on the court.

“[Crane] has been really limited at practice, so I take responsibility. I think I kept her out there too long,” Dillon said. “So I will definitely put that on my shoulders — conditioning-wise and strengthwise, she is still trying to get back into it.”

Despite the slow start, the Dragons managed to slice their deficit to just seven points toward the end of the second. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late, and Long Island took the game 60-52.

Drexel is set to take on the Detroit Titans at the University of Akron Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. for the consolation round of the Preseason WNIT. The hosts, the University of Akron Zips, will also compete Nov. 18, but at 7:30 p.m. against Howard University.

The winners and losers of both games will play each other Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with Akron holding the 7:30 p.m. timeslot regardless of their game’s outcome.

In order to prepare for their upcoming game Dillon has a plan in store for her team.

“We will watch [the LIU game],” she said. “I want them to own it; I want them to recognize how bad it was out there. If they can do that, then we will certainly move forward.”

Let’s hope that a week is enough time for the Dragons to get back on track and show the Titans what they are made of.

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In a game filled with traveling violations and turnovers from the Rams, the Dragons surged to an early start and didn’t let up throughout. With a final score of 87-42, head coach Denise Dillon was extremely satisfied with her team’s performance.

“I think we came out fired up ready to play, and were definitely excited about a game situation,” Dillon said. “Considering it was an exhibition game, I was pleased with having some fans there. You can see how excited everyone is about the season starting.”

Senior forward Tyler Hale got the ball rolling by scoring the first basket of the game before one minute had even passed. With Drexel’s quick passes and steals, the scoring frenzy began to take action.

A few minutes into the half, junior transfer Nicole Jones scored her first basket of the game, giving Drexel double the amount of points as Philly U at 12-6. Jones scored a total of 10 points and was one of the seven Drexel players to score over five points during the blowout. Joining her were seniors Kamile Nacickaite, Ayana Lee and Hale; junior Hollie Mershon; redshirt freshman Jackie Schluth and freshman Tiffany Johnson.

Dillon attributes her team’s successful offensive performance to the fine-tuning of plays and strategies during practice.

“We talked all week about getting uncontested shots, and the way to do that is to set good screens and be selfless with the ball,” Dillon stated. “[The players need] to move the ball faster than defense can guard them … and they really carried that into today.”

All players who were set to compete in the game got adequate playing time. All 11 players got at least 11 minutes on the court. Dillon is extremely confident in the depth of her rotation. A lineup that was previously five or six players deep now goes eight or nine deep. This depth has been a personal goal for Dillon and for the women’s basketball program.

“What I typically try to do in the first half is play our rotation,” Dillon said. “Then in the second half get everyone in there to show that we have a bench — a very good bench. So now you have to do everything you are physically or mentally capable of on the floor.”

This rotation helps some of the younger and less-experienced individuals on the roster get more comfortable with the speed of collegiate play, especially with the big season opener just around the corner.

“We are certainly pleased with everyone’s development,” Dillon said. “It’s nice to see that everyone is ready and understands what needs to be done.“

Players with more or less experience alike played like champions against the Rams. With very quick passing and movement around the baseline, it was clear that the Dragons had prepared aggressive play calls that worked to their advantage.

Philly U came out with a little gusto in the second half and sunk a few buckets early. Drexel, on the other hand, was off to a slower start, and at five minutes in had only scored six points.

The Dragons’ “lull,” if you could even call it that, didn’t last for long. The women were hitting threes left and right. Mershon hit three 3-pointers and finished with a total of 21 points. Mershon’s contributions not only ended up being the most points scored during the game but also totaled more points than the entire Rams team scored in the first half.

In the end, the Dragons walked away with a well deserved win.

With a major confidence boost under their belts, the Dragons are now set to take on Long Island for their season opener and first round of the Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament at the DAC Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.

Whoever wins this match up will compete Nov. 13 against the winner of the Manhattan-Hartford game.

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Then-redshirt freshman Ashley Davis rises up from beyond the arc during the Dragons’ 56-46 win over Georgia State Jan. 6. Davis played 12 minutes in the game.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the time of year we have all been waiting for: packed stands, delicious concessions, and most importantly, a basketball team with something to prove.

As the Drexel women’s basketball team prepares for the 2011-12 season, they have lofty goals for themselves after their season was cut short last year in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

Finishing 19-13 and earning themselves an invitation to this year’s Women’s National Invitation Tournament, the Dragons want to meet and exceed last year’s results.

“You always put high expectations on a veteran team,” Head Coach Denise Dillon said. “We have the experience and the talent to achieve our goals. I would like to see this team rally behind the seniors to make it great.”

This will be the last season for powerhouse seniors Kamile Nacickaite, Marisa Crane, Tyler Hale and Ayana Lee. These four have been a part of some of the best women’s basketball teams in Dragon history. With a 2009 CAA championship under their belts, these women have the experience and knowledge of the game to help lead their team to victory.

Nacickaite has been named a Preseason First Team All-CAA selection by a poll conducted by the league’s coaches.

“Throughout three seasons, Kamile has proven to be a top player in the CAA,” Dillon said. “We need Kam to continue to do what she does best — score consistently with threes and post moves and rebound the ball.”

When a player has as much recognition as Nacickaite, the power comes with responsibility. But Dillon reassures her that “we have a very good team, … so we don’t want her to feel any pressure to do more than what she is capable of doing.”

And what exactly is she capable of doing? Well, for starters, leading the league as a junior in scoring and rebounding. Not to mention she was also named as a Second Team selection. But beyond her apparent talent on the court, she acts as a leader and mentor to the younger players off the court.

As a collective team, the Dragons were picked to finished fifth along with Old Dominion this season, voted by the preseason poll.

“I predicted we would be picked fifth or sixth — the CAA is as strong as ever,” Dillon stated. “We know we have a challenging year ahead, but our goal remains to finish in the top four in regular season play. That gives us the best chance to win a second CAA championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.”

First on the Dragons’ hit list are our friends from East Falls, the Philadelphia University Rams. Drexel will take on the Rams Nov. 6 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at 2 p.m.

Shortly after PhillyU, the Dragons continue high-level non-conference play with trips to Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. But before the Dragons leave their home turf, they are greeted by Long Island for a first-round Preseason WNIT showdown Nov. 11.

The Dragons take on Pitt Nov. 26 and just days later return to Philly to take on Saint Joseph’s. With the Panthers and Hawks only three days apart, the team has little time to rest.

After an adequate warm-up against non-conference competitors, the Dragons will begin their CAA play against the talented Seahawks from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Drexel will face the team in Wilmington, N.C. Dec 4. They have yet to beat the Seahawks since 2009, when they came out on top by just five points.

From the Jan. 5 game against Hofstra through the rest of the regular season, the Dragons will take on conference competitors with hopes of reaching the postseason once more.

The regular season wraps up Feb. 29, which also happens to be senior night, at home against Virginia Commonwealth.

Although the Dragons have an action-packed and exciting season ahead of them, the team needs to stay focused and chip away one competitor at a time.

“It is extremely important to start the season strong,” Dillon said. “Like last year, we need to come out like we have something to prove. With four seniors, I feel the team will come out aggressive.”

It is clear that the team has set high expectations for them this season and won’t settle for anything less than greatness. So, for all of you fans out there, all that’s left to do is grab some popcorn and get comfortable, because it’s going to be an exciting ride.

The post As the WNIT beckons, Drexel looks toward success appeared first on The Triangle.

An easy place to begin that search is at the top of the roster with the seniors. The Dragons will have four seniors running the Daskalakis Athletic Center court for the final time this season: Tyler Hale, Marisa Crane, Ayana Lee and Kamile Nacickaite. It’s a quartet that has seen only winning seasons and playoff appearances at their time at Drexel. Anything less to them is foreign. Included in their tenure, during the group’s freshman season, is a Colonial Athletic Association Championship, of course followed by an NCAA Tournament appearance.

For obvious reasons, such as their experience, growth and proven talent, the team will look to their seniors as leaders. Drexel women’s Head Coach Denise Dillon is doing exactly that with her seniors.

“The biggest thing  we’re looking for in this senior class is leadership,” Dillon said.

Then-junior guard/forward Kamile Nacickaite rises up for a three-point shot over Nikki Newman of the Dukes at the DAC Jan. 27. The Dragons lost the game 66-60 as Nacickaite scored 16 points.

While Dillon and her roster will look to the quartet, there is one senior who will be having even more eyes looking down on her for this 2011-12 season. Among them are people outside of Drexel and part of bigger organizations — such as the entire CAA.

On Oct. 18, Drexel senior Kamile Nacickaite was named as a first-team selection to the All-CAA preseason team. The selection is confirmation that there are extra eyes on this particular senior. But there is more to it; the extra eyes are there as part of an expectation.

The preseason selections to the team are not based on any play for this season, as it has not begun yet. Rather, they are predictions of the performance for players throughout the conference. In other words, these players are expected to have big seasons and be keys to their teams. Nacickaite is being viewed as a key to the Dragons’ women’s basketball season.

So what makes the senior guard the key to the season? This simply is her team right now. She is the best player. The Siauliai, Lithuania native became the best player on the team last season and has only gotten better. Not only that, but she has a trend.

Nacickaite followed the path of progression in an almost perfect linear fashion. She started her freshman season as the fourth-best scorer on the team, averaging 5.7 points per game. The following year she bumped up to the position of second-highest scorer at 11.6 points per game. She reached the top of the ladder last year, leading the team with a solid points-per-game average of 17.6.

Her scoring and shooting statistics are not the only things that have grown, though. Nacickaite has grown to become a more complete player, physically and mentally. This is what makes her the key. This season is her season to show and prove herself as a complete basketball player and not a one-dimensional player.

When athletes come to schools with athletic plans, they usually have one, maybe two, strengths that got them recruited. It’s the time they spend progressing and moving up the roster that helps them create an all-around game and become complete players. It’s what the senior season is all about: unfolding that all-around game. That is the case for Nacickaite this season and during her college career.

”What we recognized immediately was her shooting ability; she had a nice shot,” Dillon said. “But what I liked and what I saw in her develop each and every year was a different part of her game. Again, she had a nice shot, but we wanted to develop areas like her ball-handling, her defense, post moves. So we’ve seen her grow into an all-around good player instead of just being a shooter.”

And so Nacickaite moved up among the team leaders in a number of other categories, as well. She finished the 2010-11 season as the Dragons’ leader in rebounds, blocks, steals and three-point shooting percentage, in addition to just scoring. Playing in the backcourt as a guard, leading the team in both rebounds and blocks is quite an accomplishment. Not to mention an indication of hustle play on the court, a good item to put on display as a senior leader.

Already being the leader in a number of statistical categories it’s clear she already tapped into that all-around game, but there is still more. She still had time to experience even more growth and progression since then. It’s those developments that make the senior season that all-important one. It’s their last impression, so they have big incentive to make it a long-lasting positive one. This is their chance to show their all around game they have been able to create through the previous three years with their play and help from the coaching staff.

“I think that’s why she’s being recognized by the CAA,” Dillon said.

With eyes set to be on her from the conference, her teammates and the Drexel community, Nacickaite said she has high expectations. She is still growing and progressing as a player to be even better, maybe even becoming more of a key.

“I’m still working on extra things that can be better in my game,” Nacickaite said.

Still, she recognizes the opportunity and sees it as time to take advantage of her final season.

“This is my last year, got to do it, got to win the championship,” she declared.

She, along with the other members of her senior class, will look to make it a perfect four-for-four in winning seasons and playoff appearances at Drexel.

“It’s not going to be easy. We have to work hard and work as a team and work on the obstacles,” she said. “It’s not expected for us to make it to the postseason, so we have to work for extra things.”

Drexel is predicted to finish fifth in the CAA this season. Nacickaite has an idea of what it will take to continue the trend of winning seasons at Drexel for her tenure.

“Just win games. Twenty-plus wins will get us there,” Nacickaite said.

There’s one more trend she’d like to start. In 2007-08 she led her high school team, Regis Jesuit High, reach the championship game as a senior. She’d like to lead her college team to a championship game — and title — as a senior as well.

Nacickaite and the Dragons begin their season Nov. 11 when they host Long Island.

“Nov. 11; be there,” Nacickaite explained.

She’ll of course be there and be needed as the key to the season, the final one for her game and for the rest of the senior class.

The post Senior spotlight: Kamile Nacickaite, jack of all trades appeared first on The Triangle.

The Drexel fan base known as the DAC Pack has acquired the musical group Chiddy Bang for Midnight Madness Nov. 5. The two band members are former Drexel students.

It is time to escape the reality that is the NFL’s 1-4 Philadelphia “dream team,” and there is no longer a need to feign interest in early-season hockey, and yes, it’s time to stop dabbing the tears off of your cheeks with your Phillies rally towel. The start of a brand new college basketball season is just around the corner.

At Drexel, that means Midnight Madness, and this season the Dragons look to start things with, dare I say it, a “bang.”

Hip-hop sensation Chiddy Bang will be performing this year at Midnight Madness, held at the DAC Nov. 5, as part of the fusion between basketball and music. Midnight Madness is free to anyone with a valid Drexel student ID, and guests are welcome for $10 per ticket.

“We think that this blend of basketball and concert will be a fitting welcome to school for everyone as well as a massive pep rally for the upcoming basketball season,” DAC Pack President Anthony D’Angelo said.

Midnight Madness is a college basketball tradition that was originally conceived to give fans the opportunity to watch their team’s first organized practice to kick off the season. Now, it has turned into one big party and a hype-building machine for the upcoming season. Drexel has been doing a small-scale version of Midnight Madness for five years, but this season Drexel and the DAC Pack wanted to go bigger.

“In order to have the type of event we pictured in our heads, we needed to bring in a performer,” D’Angelo said.

On Chiddy Bang’s official Twitter page, the location section reads, “On ya campus,” and for all Drexel students, this will actually be a true statement come Nov. 5.

“The fact that Chiddy Bang is performing at Midnight Madness for Drexel Basketball says a lot about where we have come,” D’Angelo said. “First and foremost, it says that Drexel University has the faith in the program to warrant a concert being put on for them, and it also says that they have faith that the DAC Pack can put on a quality show for the student body.”

The excitement from midnight madness should carry over to the start of the season as the Dragons, 21-game winners last year, return many key players from that team. Although last season’s leading scorer, Chris Fouch, will miss the start of the this season coming off knee surgery, the Dragons have enough depth and veteran leadership to prevail.

Of course, one thing all good teams in any sport must do is defend their home, and that is exactly what Drexel did, going 12-2 at the DAC. They hope to do the same thing this year.

“Drexel’s record at the DAC last year really spoke to how good our team was at protecting their home floor and to how the DAC Pack is the greatest fan section in the city,” D’Angelo said. “Since we are so close to the action, the DAC is a pretty intimidating place to play.”

Drexel students are very fortunate not only to have a great men’s basketball program but to have so many winning teams on campus, and D’Angelo encourages everyone to support them.

“It is important for students to support all of our sports teams, not just basketball, because they all wear Drexel across their chest and bring a tremendous amount of pride to our campus,” D’Angelo said.

Whether you are a die-hard basketball junkie or don’t even know the ball is round, Midnight Madness is a great way to support your school, see some live music and have a great time.

Let’s just hope that this year’s midnight madness is the first step toward March Madness for Drexel basketball.

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A schedule highlighted by large-name programs such as the University of Pittsburgh and the University of South Carolina tends to belong to a team in one of the larger conferences such as the Big East, the Southeastern Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Those teams are actually the big-name draws on this year’s Drexel women’s basketball schedule. Although, Drexel women’s head coach Denise Dillon feels that the Colonial Athletic Association is well on its way to being part of that “elite” category.

“We’re talking about how great the conference has become across the board — it’s not just the top four teams, two teams that are dominating — it’s each and every night you’re up for a challenge,” Dillon said.

Marisa Crane reaches for the ball against La Salle during the 2010-11 season, but was on the DL shortly after due to an injury.

The Dragons have been invited to the Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament after three straight seasons of qualifying for postseason play — one National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament bid and two invitations to the postseason NIT. And not only will they be participating, but they will also be hosting their opening-round game as Long Island University comes to Philadelphia Nov. 11.

“It’s great for the program,” Dillon said. “It’s just showing that we’re not about having one successful year, we’re really about building something and staying consistent with it. It’s a way to open up your season, to be able to play three guaranteed games.”

In addition to the WNIT, Dillon also took the liberty of scheduling the previously mentioned Pittsburgh and South Carolina. Drexel will play the Panthers in their first matchup after WNIT play, on the road.

“With Pittsburgh, we try and find … that one team that, if you show up and do your best, you come out with the win, you come out with the upset,“ she said.

The Gamecocks, on the other hand, will make their way to Philadelphia for a matchup at the DAC right after Christmas, Dec. 28.

“South Carolina [head coach] Dawn Staley, being from Philadelphia, is always looking to play in this area, so we were able to get her team to come up,” she said.

Dillon explained that she scheduled these two tough non-conference games because they resemble the playing style of some of the Dragons’ top CAA foes, namely James Madison University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She feels her players can take advantage of these matchups and use them as preparation for conference play. She also feels that, by scheduling these two big-name foes, it largely helps the Dragons’ RPI come NCAA Tournament time.

Other non-conference opponents for Dillon’s squad will be in-town rivals Philadelphia University (season opener), St. Joseph’s University, La Salle University and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as two programs from across the bridge in Seton Hall University and Princeton University.

Although those programs are talented, Dillon feels her team’s toughest foes reside within the CAA in Delaware and VCU.

“You have to get the girls to understand, ‘Hey, we’ve got to split [the series],’” Dillon said of her team’s games against the two programs. “You want to upset them on their court but you’ve got to take care of the game here at home. We have them twice, which isn’t a bad thing, certainly a great challenge facing them, which I think will be picked [as the top two teams] in the conference.”

After the Dec. 31 meeting at the DAC with Princeton, Drexel finishes out the season with 17 CAA matchups and nothing else, with its only other CAA game coming Dec. 2 against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

“Our goal, and we’re ambitious, we feel that we should finish top three, top four in this conference with the girls we have returning,” Dillon said. “The depth — this is the deepest team that I’ve coached since I started here at Drexel. With that, we feel we can be very successful but we know … [the schedule]’s a tough one.

“You’re on the road and then back for a couple days and then heading out for another long road trip, so there isn’t going to be one easy night. But that’s what you want, you want your conference to be the best it can so when March rolls around you get the respect and you get a couple teams into the NCAA tournament and to the NIT as well.”

With what looks to be a harsh and challenging schedule, Dillon and her players are in it to win it and plan on being a team that generates buzz come time for the  NCAA Tournament.

The post SEC and Big East to face DU appeared first on The Triangle.

The Drexel women’s crew varsity eight boat, pictured above, is one of many premiere athletic teams at Drexel. The men’s and women’s crew program as a whole has outperformed competitors consistently over the past three seasons, including their stronghold on the local, yet renowned, Dad Vail Regatta.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JULIA FISHER — ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

So, college — not too sure what to expect, right?

Well, read on and you shall find yourself enlightened at the culmination of this ever-so informative piece.

Your college experience will begin as follows: you will make your way onto campus via some sort of transportation, most likely mom and dad’s family car. Next they will move you in, embarrass you a bit in front of your soon-to-be close friends, and after a few laps around campus and a fully stocked mini-fridge, they will eventually leave you on your own as you begin your journey at your new institution. Now, obviously the point of coming to Drexel is for you to get an education and leave as a distinguished graduate, but there is no reason you can’t have fun while you’re here.

We are here to help and guide you in that regard. The following is our extremely opinionated guide to our very own Drexel athletics.

First things first, we see that you have noticed a gaping flaw in our fine institutions athletics program: where’s the football? Well the easiest way to put it is that we have been undefeated since 1973, back when we were Drexel Tech.

No worries though, as there are many other fine athletic competitions you can attend.

In the fall, we suggest attending a field hockey game. Now we know that doesn’t come off as sounding as thrilling as a Notre Dame football game, but here at Drexel we love our field hockey, especially the recently graduated two-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, Christina Mastropaolo. The Dragons have finished the season ranked inside the nation’s Top 20 each of the past three seasons, including their exciting trip to the elite eight of the NCAA tournament two seasons ago, when they finished the season ranked tenth.

We also suggest attending a men’s or women’s soccer game. Both programs are filled with budding stars waiting to break out and have a big season. Other fall sports to choose from are golf, tennis, crew and squash. Crew and squash specifically should catch your eye because crew has absolutely dominated in NCAA competition for the last two years and is bound to do so once again, including one of the largest races in the nation right here on the Schuylkill. As for squash, this will be the program’s first year of Division I competition, while Drexel itself will also play host to the 2011 U.S. Open Squash Championships.

In the winter comes Dragon fans’ slam dunk attraction, men’s and women’s basketball. One thing every student should do before graduation is travel to neighboring UPenn for a Drexel-UPenn basketball game, because there is no atmosphere better than the one at the Palestra as the Dragons run up and down the court against the Quakers. Also, after one of the largest wins in school history over Louisville in Kentucky last year, the Dragons are poised to make a postseason run this year, so you want to make sure you go to as many games as you can. With an extremely young and talented roster, Dragons everywhere are crossing their fingers for a trip to the Big Dance for the first time since Malik Rose took them there in 1996.

But hey, the women are no slouches either, with their most recent NCAA tournament invite coming in the 2008-09 season. The Dragons have finished in the top five in the CAA the last four seasons, competing in postseason play in two of them as well. Kamile Nacickaite will be a player to look out for as she hopes to lead her team to the postseason. Women’s basketball is another can’t-miss sporting event this winter.

Also, for basketball in general, students MUST make sure they attend at least one home game against Delaware University – now that is a true college rivalry. Regardless of whether or not the Blue Hens are visiting, the DAC Pack will always represent our university with pride and enthusiasm. You will be able to spot the blue and gold from miles away — not to mention you will certainly be able to hear them cheering on our Dragons and booing any opposing team.

Also on our list of winter sports are  wrestling, swimming and diving. The wrestling team is heading into its first season of the post-Jack Childs era, the winning coach in NCAA history, and will be leaning on third-year star captain Joe Booth, the only member of the program to wrestle in the NCAA tournament that took place at the Wells Fargo Center in March.

You can also take a splash into the swimming and diving program. These aquatic mavens have a handful of young up-and-comers that are sure to make their marks on CAA and NCAA competition. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to go to a pool in the middle of winter? It will amp you up, and get you ready for the spring.

In the spring there is another program that has been lauded by Drexel fans of late, and that is the men’s lacrosse team. They have earned berths into the CAA tournament five years in a row and have been ranked among the top teams in the nation consistently over the last few years. Their most powerful win in recent memory was an overtime victory at home against Notre Dame, a perennial powerhouse. The Dragons will be heading into the season without the nation’s second leading scorer in 2011 in last season’s CAA Player of the Year, Scott Perri. Much of the burden will fall on Robert Church, the Dragons’ second leading scorer last season as a sophomore. Also in line to lead the program will be senior goaltender Mark Manos, who happens to be the 2010 CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

And let’s not forget the women’s lacrosse team. They qualified for the CAA tournament last season for the first time in program history and will look to follow attackers Charlotte Wood, a member of last year’s Tewaaraton Award watch list, and Alyse Maiden, team’s second leading scorer behind Wood.

Guard Gerald Colds had his best season as the lone senior on the 2010-11 men’s basketball team, averaging 9.7 points per game and playing a team-high 32.3 minutes per game His 9.7 points per game were good for third on the team in scoring, behind Samme Givens (12.2) and Chris Fouch (14.9).

Also in the spring will be some of the fall teams one again in crew, golf and tennis. One of our returning tennis players that you should look out for is Nikoloz Kurdadze — he is an ace on the court and a leader off – and the tennis team will certainly make a slam on the Drexel program this year.

And wait, did we mention that when you attend these games,  you will be accompanied by Drexel’s most devoted fan, Calvin? If you aren’t already pumped up, he will be sure to raise your level of enthusiasm and make the sporting events truly unforgettable.

And let’s not forget, if you decide that you would rather be in the action than sitting in the stands, we have a list of club teams you can join. Ranging from karate to our first class hockey teams to our rough and tough rugby players — there’s no reason why you can’t be involved with Drexel athletics.

We hope this helps guide you on your journey as a Drexel Dragon — and we can’t wait to see all of you at the sporting events. Either at the DAC or somewhere as far off as say, the Virgin Islands for a preseason basketball tournament … you’ll have to look into it.

The post The freshman’s guide to Drexel Dragon athletics appeared first on The Triangle.