TOWSON, Md. - On the eve of what is predicted to be the largest snowstorm of the year, Drexel saw enough "Snow"den to last the Dragons all winter as Haliena Snowden scored a career-high 21 points for the Tigers in the victory. Towson (10-11, 4-6 CAA) snapped a three-game losing streak with the 53-48 victory over the Dragons (14-7, 8-2 CAA).
"I was proud of our kids and the defensive effort they put up tonight," said Coach Joe Mathews. "I thought we came up with some key rebounds down the stretch and it feels good to get a victory."
The Tigers came out of the locker room, trailing by one to start the second half. After a quick jumper by the home team, Drexel went on a 12-5 run to take a 38-32 lead with 14:26 to play. Gabriela Marginean had half of Drexel's points during that stretch. The Tigers responded with a 6-0 spurt of their own to tie the game at 38-38 with 10:54 remaining in the contest. Marginean hit a jumper at 7:40 to put Drexel on top 40-38 but that was the last lead the Dragons would hold in the game.
A Snowden lay-up at 5:42 tied the game at 40-40. Just 39 seconds later, Snowden would hit a three-pointer to give Towson a 43-40 advantage. Those buckets jump started a 15-8 run by the Tigers to close out the 53-48 victory.
The Tigers and Dragons battled early in the first half as the score was tied at 13-13 with 10:04 to play. Towson took an 18-13 lead with 8:46 to play in the half, only to see the Dragons get five straight points from Marginean to tie the game. The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes with a Kandace Davis lay-up at 3:06 tying the game at 23-23. Marisa Crane hit a pair of free throws with 1:35 remaining in the half to give Drexel a 25-23 advantage. The Tigers tied the score with one minute to play as Shanae Baker-Brice sunk a lay-up. Tyler Hale hit one of two from the charity stripe with :43 to play and sent Drexel to the locker room with a 26-25 lead.
Snowden pulled down eight rebounds, had four assists and four steals to go along with her career-high in the points column. Baker-Brice recorded the second "double-double" of her career with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She would also add five assists and two steals in the game. Katrina Wheeler matched her season-high with 15 rebounds while Davis moved into sixth place on the Tigers' career rebounding list as she now has 717 career boards.
Marginean led all scorers with 28 points and six rebounds. Kamile Nacickaite chipped in with 10 points and five boards while Hale grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Towson returns to action when it hosts Northeastern on Sunday, February 7 at noon. That game will be televised on the Comcast Network.
-- TIGERS --