Dragons Fall Just Short

After getting off to a rough start here early on in the season, the women faced their most formidable opposition to date as they traveled to State College to face perennial Big Ten power Penn State. Despite being outmatched physically, the Dragons battled their way to 66-60 loss.

Coming into the game it looked like this struggling Drexel team might be in for a blowout against the Lady Lions. The Dragons were able to keep it close behind strong play from two of their European players, Gabriela Marginean and freshman point guard Jasmina Rosseel. Gabi quickly showed her Big Ten counterparts that she's fully capable of playing at their level. She scored in a variety of ways, including her patented cut and drive through the middle of the lane en route to a game high 25 points. Gabi now leads the CAA in scoring after the fine performance.

Jasmina provided the second scoring option that the Dragons badly needed. The talented freshman started her first career game, filling in for the injured Andrea Peterson. Jasmina used her quickness to get into the lane, ran the floor well and also buried a pair of threes on the way to 16 points. She is quick a could provide some ball handling that this team desperately needs.

Early on, it looked the women would be in for a long day when the Lady Lions used their size to grab a number of offensive rebounds. They were also red hot from behind the arc. The Dragons defense really dug in though and played an outstanding game the rest of the way. They forced Penn State to work for most of their points. If Drexel can play defense like this night in and night out they'll be in just about every game from here on out.

The Dragons offense looked much better this time out that when I saw from them against St. Joe's. They worked the ball around and created good scoring opportunities. They do have trouble from time to time because they don't get plays started until late in the shot clock and are forced to throw up a quick shot.

After a slow start to the season, Narissa Suber had a efficient game. She hit on two of four three point attempts in the contest and was huge on the defensive end in coming up with 6 rebounds. Because this team is thin at the guard spot, she is forced to handle the ball more than she should. That said, she did a good job with that on this occasion as she had 5 assists and no turnovers. Strong play from Narissa will be a key for the Dragons the remainder of the year.

Despite not scoring a point, Nicole McCombs had a solid game for Drexel. She is the physical player that they badly need inside, especially against a bigger team like the Lady Lions. Nicole played just 11 minutes, but pulled down 7 rebounds, including 4 offensive. She has good hands, is quick in the post and strong. Nicole just needs to learn how to finish on the interior. She also did struggle with 4 turnovers, but you have love her aggressive play.

Another very positive sign for the Dragons was that they just wouldn't quit. PSU utilized full court pressure in the second half and forced Drexel into a number of turnovers. As the Lady Lions built up their lead, it looked like they'd pull away, but the Dragons continued to fight and claw their way back. In the end the 20 second half free throw attempts by Penn State were just too much for Drexel to overcome.

If the Dragons can play near this level the rest of the year, they'll give the CAA fits and definately will finish higher than their projected 8th place finish. If they play sloppy on the offensive end and poor defensively as they have in several other contests this year, it will be long season. Hopefully a strong showing against a quality opponent will get Drexel pointed in the right direction.

Dragons Drop Another

After starting off with a road loss in Baltimore on Friday, the girls found themselves back in the city for another road matchup (this time with St. Joe's). The Dragons got off to a poor start and trouble even gettting shots off without turning the ball over in the first half. Both teams turned the ball over a ton in the game (Drexel 18, St. Joe's 22), but when the Hawks did take care of the ball they were able to execute. St. Joe's shot 37 percent, including 60 percent from three while Drexel struggled with just 27 percent overall and 21 percent from three. The Hawks managed to pull away in the second half for an ugly 49-40 win.

The big concern coming into this year was who would be the solid scoring options behind all league forward Gabriela Marginean. So far, the answer has been no one and Gabi is struggling herself. Gabi has been surrounded time and time again by multiple defenders and teams will continue to defend her in this fashion until someone else proves they can score from the perimeter. One thing that was encouraging was seeing Gabi improve some of the weaker areas of her game. Last year she had a nice mid range game, but her shot didn't extend much beyond 15 feet. Against the Hawks she buried a pair of three pointers. Gabi also had a nice assist to newcomer Brooke Cornish on another play. Hopefully we'll see more improved passing from her as her teammates will be the key to success this season.

Taking care of the basketball was a huge problem last year and that sure continued on Wednesday night. Kira Karlstrom wasn't a great ball handler, but it looks like her loss may already be felt. Andrea Peterson had 4 turnovers from her point guard position. It's hard to just blame her though as her teammates did a poor job of moving around and coming towards the ball. Andrea did have a few nice drives, but didn't set up her teammates much. I had heard great things about freshman point guard Jasmina Rosseel, but she didn't show much in this game. She did look quick, but also looked like a typical freshman who was unsure of what she should do on the court. The problem is the Dragons need her to play like a veteran to have success. Hopefully she can grow up quickly.

When this team has played well in the past it's been due to hot three point shooting. To say the shooting was poor on Tuesday might be an understatement. Narissa Suber, Drexel's all time leading three point shooter, hit only one shot from beyond the arc. She struggled from everywhere else as well. She had a bit of an off season last winter and hopefully that won't continue. It doesn't look too good early on though. She really needs to get back to playing like she did in her sophomore season.

If they can't hit perimeter jumpers, the Dragons will need a post player to step up. Delise Johnson doesn't score much in the low block and is almost strictly a jump shooter (she missed a few of those too). She did have a couple blocks and some nice rebounds, but this team badly needs interior scoring. Brooke Cornish did a good job of establishing post position and got herself some nice looks at the basket, but really struggled to convert. She'll have a height advantage in most games, but will have to play more physical than she did during this contest. A young St. Joe's frontcourt struggled to score around the hoop, but they were able to play more phyiscal and dominate the glass all night long.

Nicole Hester had her moments coming back after missing all of last season, but she also did look rusty. The Dragons also got very little from the bench, although sophomore Nicole McCombs certainly has an interesting skill set and some potential.

The CAA preseason polls had the Dragons picked 8th and I thought they'd end up higher. So far the league coaches look right. Hopefully Drexel can turn it around. I feel like there's talent on this team, they just can't seem to get it together. Turnovers and ball handling were my biggest concern coming into the season and that still appears to be major weakness of this team. Add in poor shooting and no rebounding and you have a disastrous game. One thing I will say is that even after possibly the worst first half I've ever seen them play, the Dragons didn't quiet and they continued and continued to attack until the end. Unfortunately, they were shooting with blanks. Gabi has a ton of talent and if they can just get her some help it can be a special season. If not, it'll be another long winter.

Season Preview

Well it's almost that time of year again for the start of basketball season. Since I don't have enough to write about on my own website CAA Insider, I decided to write a blog to cover the Drexel women's basketball team. This season should be an interesting one.

Let me start off by saying I do look for this team to be competitive and at least finish in the upper half of the CAA. Apparently most of the conference disagrees as they are a preseason #8 pick. On CAAzone some fans have even forcasted them second to last place. I'm sure hoping they are in for a big suprise.

The big feel good story of the preseason is the return of Nicole Hester. Nicole returns to the Dragons after her battle last season with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She has always been my favorite player because of her ability to do a number of different things on the court. Certainly her on the court skills were missed, but you have to think her on the court situation had an impact on her teammates as well. Hopefully her presence on the court will be an inspiration to the whole team.

Once you get past Nicole's story, sophomore sensation Gabriela Marginean comes immediately to mind. After winning Rookie of the Year honors in the CAA last season as well as 2nd team all conference, Gabi looks to be well on her way to being one of the best players in the league this year. Gabi is also on pace to set the career scoring record at Drexel (1900 points). The scary thing is even as dominant as her game was last year there were still a few holes. She has a good jumper, but her range was limited to about 15 feet. She also had some trouble getting the ball to open teammates, especially early on. If she can improve in those areas and add to her stellar ability to drive and finish or you use quickness in the post, the sky is the limit for Gabi. Certainly defenses have had all offseason to slow her down. Even late last year, it seemed that few teams found ways to slow her down. Her 47 points and 22 rebounds in a single game should hang around the record books for awhile, that is unless she breaks it. Look for a big season out of Gabi.

With teams so focused on Gabi, it should really open things up for Drexel's all time three point shooting leader senior Narissa Suber. The soon to be four year starter was the Dragons second leading scorer last year. Her perimeter shooting percentage dropped compared with past seasons, but she so the ability to do more off the dribble. No one will confuse her for a great slashing guard, but when they play up on her she can get by them. Narissa should provide a solid second scorer as well as veteran leadership.

The biggest question marks will come at the front end and back end of the lineup. Drexel lone loss was do everything point guard Kira Karlstrom. There is certainly some experience at that position as Andrea Peterson came in and started after sitting out the first half of the season due to transferring from St. John's. While she played well at times, her season was very up and down. Turnover plagued her as well the rest of the Drexel guards. Hopefully after a full season under her belt she'll be able to put together a strong senior season. Allison Lupariello was another first year guard who was plagued with inconsistent play and hopes for a bigger role this season. Drexel will also look at two freshmen guards from Europe Jasmina Rosseel and Silvia Jankova to provide backcourt depth if not more.

The center spot has some experience, but is another question mark. Senior Delise Johnson proves a veteran presence, but has been up and down throughout her career. She has a very smooth jumper, but isn't quite as dominant inside as you'd like to see. She is a good shot blocker and solid on the defensive end though. Joining Delise will be sophomore Brooke Cornish. Brooke joins the Dragons after a fabulous prep career at nearby Archbishop Carroll. She was rated the 92nd best player following that career up with one relatively unproductive season at the University of Florida. If nothing else, she'll provide some additional height while standing at an impressive 6 feet 4 inches. If she can live up to the expectations she had while coming out of high school, she'll be a fantastic addition to the Dragons team.

Anora Suber provides another veteran player who can either come off the bench or start at guard or forward for the Dragons. She started 20 of 31 games last season with the absence of Nicole Hester. Much like her twin sister, Anora is a very good three point shooter. She can also drive to the hoop and rebound too.

Nicole McCombs will also provide depth if not more in the Drexel frontcourt. With a combination of good size, quick feet and fantastic hands, she looked like she could be a special player at times. She was even named CAA Rookie of the Week on one occasion last season. If she can play more consistent she should be in for a breakout year.

Jennifer Stjarnstrom provides and intersting combination of size and shooting skills. At 6-2, she showed a solid jumper last year in her rookie campaign. She also got on the court more frequently because of her solid defensive ability. There will be a couple of new additions to the lineup, so it'll be interesting to see how many minutes she'll play. Stacy McCullough, who's career has been plagued by injury rounds out the Dragons roster. She's a veteran of the system and should be counted on to provide leadership.

Last year the Dragons relied too much on Gabriela Marginean. This year they'll look to a few more additions to provide a more balanced attack. When they were able to take care off the basketball, they were a productive offensive team thanks in large part to Gabi. They were also a very hot and cold three point shooting team. Reduced turnovers by the guards could go a long way for this team in the up coming season. They also had trouble with some of the bigger teams in the CAA and hopefully Brooke Cornish's size can counteract that some. This team does appeared to be more talented and deeper than last year's squad with many young players looking to step up to a bigger role. I don't look for the Dragons to be a league contender, but I can't see them being a cellar dweller either. Let the games begin.