PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Drexel connected on eight three-pointers in the second half and held off the Tigers for a 58-52 win in Philadelphia on Thursday evening. Towson (13-12, 7-7 CAA) got 10 points from Charmonique Watt in the loss.
"You have to give credit to Drexel," said Coach Joe Mathews. "They took advantage of their opportunities in the second half and we were not able to take advantage of enough of ours."
Towson started the second half with a 20-16 lead and quickly increased that advantage on a jumper by Watt with 19:17 to play. Jasmina Rosseel hit the first of three consecutive three-pointers for the Dragons at 18:55. That bucket kick started a 14-7 run by the Dragons that turned a six-point deficit into a four-point advantage, 33-29 with 13:20 to play. The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes with a Simona Petronyte basket at 11:33 putting the visitors up 35-33. That would be the last lead the Tigers would hold in the contest.
Marisa Crane hit a pair at the charity stripe at 11:19 to tie the game and start the Dragons on another run. Crane's points started a 13-0 run that allowed the Dragons to take a 46-35 lead with 6:31 to play. Katrina Wheeler connected on a jumper at 6:19, that basket broke up the Drexel run and also snapped a Tiger scoreless streak of close to five minutes. The Tigers responded with an 8-0 run of their own to cut the Drexel lead to 46-43 with 3:42 to play. The Drexel lead would fluctuate between three and six points over the next minute and a half. Haliena Snowden drained a lay-up with 49 seconds to go making it a two-point game, 54-52. Following a Drexel miss, the Tigers had a chance to tie or take the lead with 29 seconds to go but Shanae Baker-Brice's three-point attempt would not fall. Drexel sealed the victory by going 4-for-5 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds of the contest.
The first half was a tightly contested defensive battle between the two squads. Towson jumped out an early 6-2 lead only to see Drexel battle back and take a 9-8 advantage. Towson responded with a 10-2 run to take an 18-11 lead with 5:28 to play in the half. The Tigers' run was spurred by three-pointers from Baker-Brice and Watt. Drexel would cut the lead to 18-16 before Watt hit a bucket with two seconds left in the half. The Tigers took a 20-16 lead into the break.
In addition to Watt's 10 points, the Tigers got 13 points and nine rebounds from Baker-Brice. Baker-Brice would also add six assists in the game. Snowden was the third Tiger in double figures as she contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.
Gabriela Marginean led all scorers with 19 points and six rebounds. Kamile Nacickaite finished with 14 points for Drexel while Rosseel contributed 12 points.
Towson wraps up its road trip when the team visits UNC Wilmington on Sunday, February 21 for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
-- TIGERS --
