Drexel Women's Basketball

Starting the Season

2009-11-15T19:07:00.001-08:00

The Drexel women's team started their season off with two home games. They dropped the season opener to Penn State on Friday night, 71-61. On Sunday afternoon, they beat rival Penn 56-42.

The defending CAA champs got off to a rough start against the Nittany Lions. The bigger PSU squad had their way on the boards early on and the Dragons offense sputtered. They turned the ball over frequently and their motion offense was stagnant. Drexel found themselves down 35-15 in the first half, before cutting the lead to 10 at the intermission.

The Dragons continued to fight in the 2nd half. Star player, Gabriela Marginean, played well after a slow start. She eventually finished with 27 points. The Drexel offense moved the ball much better and at one point, cut the lead to 4 points. They couldn't get any closer though, as Penn State countered every run.

The Dragons are replacing two starters and it showed on Friday. Marisa Crane struggled in her first game at the helm. Drexel ran some good offensive sets, but shooters Jasmina Rosseel and Kamile Nacickaite struggled from deep.

Much like last season, Tyler Hale provided a spark for Drexel. She struggled early as a starter. After coming back off the bench, she got the Dragons going with rebounding, tough defense and hustle. It wasn't enough though, as Drexel didn't have enough offense.

Drexel's offense sputtered again on Sunday against Penn. The difference in that contest was strong defense and rebounding, combined with poor play from the Quakers. Neither team could do much, and Drexel's inability to score allowed Penn to hang around.

Gabriela Marginean, had one of her worst games ever. She's closing in on the school scoring record and uncharacteristically struggled to finish around the hoop. She ended the game two points shy of that record.

Jasmina Rosseel had another rough outing, but lucky sophomore Kamile Nacickaite stepped up. She was on fire from deep, as she hit 5 three pointers en route to a career high 19 points. If she can be a true 3rd scorer for the Dragons, it'll be a huge plus.

Some of the other young Dragons played well. Ayana Lee came off the bench and sparked the offense with 6 first half points. Unfortunately, she was in foul trouble shortly after that. Hollie Mershon and Taylor Wootton look like freshman that will contribute a lot as the season wears on. Hollie is a fine all around player who can drive, pass, rebound and shoot. Taylor has some nice size and looks like she'll be a good rebounder when she gets more comfortable. Renee Johnson-Allen was solid at the point guard spot off the bench.

It's still early in the season and the Dragons have often stumbled out of the gate. They have some nice pieces and should be a contender again this year, once they put it all together. Marginean and Rosseel (2 for 15 from three) haven't played their best and Drexel is still 1-1.

Nacickaite played well on Sunday and that'll need to continue. They need big contributions from the sophomore class. Kamile looks to be the scorer and Tyler Hale will be the rebounder and high energy player. Marisa Crane as really struggled at the point and she'll need to get better. She doesn't need to score, just be steady running the offense.

Up next is a trip to Richmond on Friday. That was one of the December losses last season. It should a big early road trest. There are still plenty of games left to work out the kinks.

Let the Madness Begin!

2009-10-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. The basketball practices are starting up and the games are just around the corner. Earlier this week, the CAA held its annual media day and last night Drexel hosted Midnight Madness at the DAC.

As expected, the women's team was the preseason favorite to win the league title after taking home their first CAA title with a program best 24-9 season. Also, it was no surprise that last year's Player of the Year Gabriela Marginean was tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year.

The team came into last year as a upper level CAA program, but no one could have predicted the run that would ensue. It consisted of a 16 game winning streak before bowing out in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Dragons also handed ODU their only CAA tournament defeat in the history of their program.

As has been the case since she stepped on the campus four years ago, everything begins with Gabriela Marginean. She's shattering school record after school record and is just 47 points shy of being Drexel's all time leading scorer. She was one of the nation's leading scorers last year (23.3 points per game) and has built up some national recognition along the way too. Gabi has been added to the Wooden watch list as one of the top players in the entire country. With another year remaining in her career, she is already the greatest player to every don a Drexel uniform.

Anchoring the backcourt is the Dragons' second leading scorer from a year ago, Jasmina Rosseel. The sharpshooting Junior is already the single season record holder for three pointers in a season. She was a third team CAA selection and year ago and was voted on the 2nd team earlier this week. All of her success came last year while she was playing on a bum. She should be back to 100% now after offseason surgery.

Jennifer Stjarnstrom is the third returing starter from last season and all three hail from overseas (Stjarnstrom from Sweden, Marginean from Romania and Rosseel from Belgium). With Brooke Cornish lost to graduation, Stjarnstrom is now the tallest player on the team. She's a sound defender and smart player that anchors the middle. She didn't provide much offensive firepower last year, but she also didn't need to with the Dragons one two punch of Marginean and Rosseel. Jen did show flashes and she capable of playing on the perimeter as well as on the inside. If she can provide additional scoring, that would be a nice bonus for the Drexel.

It's not often that a championship squad receives significant contributions from their freshmen class, but the young Dragons stepped it up last year when they had to. With wile veterans Nicole Hester and Andrea Peterson lost to graduation, the group of talented youngsters will be asked to do more and could be the biggest key to Drexel's success this season.

Speedy point guard Marisa Crane takes over for Peterson. While Andrea was one of the most steady lead guards in the country, Crane provides more flash and flair. She can get to the rim quickly off the bounce, but also hit the jump shot if left open. She doesn't seem to be fazed by much, as she made big plays throughout her freshman campaign, including the game winning shot against William & Mary.

Taking over for Hester at the small forward spot will be Sophomore Kamile Nacickaite. Kamile got off to a quick start a season ago. She had a red hot November and December where it seemed she couldn't miss from the perimeter. She did cool off, but still led the Dragons in three point shooting percentage at over 40 percentage. Hester was a solid all around player and Kamile showed some of that potential last year as well. She was the 4th leading scorer a year ago and look for her numbers to improve now that she'll be in a starting role.

On most teams, you could pencil in talented Sophomore Tyler Hale in a starter. Here though, she's stuck behind all everything Gabrieal Marginean. Certainly not a bad player to learn from. Hale does provide a strong rebounder and a physical presence inside. She'll still see a lot of minutes as the undersized forward often spells Stjarnstrom in the middle. Tyler had a huge game in the big tournament victory over Old Dominion as she pulled down rebound after rebound and held the bigger Monarch frontcourt in check.

Senior guard Alison Lupariello only saw action in 14 contests last year, but with the loss of Andrea Peterson, look for her role to increase. She's a very capable three point shooter, although she didn't have many opportunities a season ago. Look for her to provide some Senior leadership to a Dragons team that still has a lot of young players.

Ayana Lee had a typical freshman campaign for Drexel. She averaged just 1.1 points per game and played in only 20 contests. With a lot of talented players ahead of her though, that can be expected. Head Coach Denise Dillon recently commented that "“She will be ready. She has a great attitude.” That attitude could help make her and everyone around her better.

With two starters and three players lost from last year's squad, there is plenty of opportunities for the Dragons' freshman class, particularly in the backcourt. Ashley Davis is a sharpshooting lefty from Maryland who should be able to spell Rosseel. With 6-4 Brooke Cornish gone to graduation, Taylor Wootten provides another body down low. Local products Hollie Mershon and Fiona Flangan should fit well into coach Dillon's motion offense. Mershon helped Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Carroll capture the state crown a season ago. Yet another foreign product, Renee Johnson-Allen from London, could provide depth at the point guard spot.

Head Coach Denise Dillon now enters her 7th season at the helm for the Dragons. She has taken the program to new heights, including the school's first ever CAA Title. She took home her second CAA Coach of the Year award a season ago. Her motion offense has created fits for opposing coaches around the league.

Much credit has to be given to the rest of the staff as well though. All of the assistants have been together for three years now, with Grad Assistant Stacy McCollough returning for her second season. Associate Head Coach Amy Mallon had some opportunities to move on, but elected to stay around for another season. She's been instrumental adding foreign flavor to the Drexel roster.

Melissa Dunne is back for her third straight year and fifth overall on the Dragons' bench. She's been a key to Drexel's strong recruiting in recent years. Assistant Coach James Clark bring a shooting background to the court as well as any intensity on the sidelines. Former walk on point guard Stacy McCollough's knowledge of the program is an invaluable asset for the Dragons.

While Drexel returns a lot of firepower, so do the other top CAA contenders. James Madison, Old Dominion and VCU were all picked ahead of the Dragons before the beginning of last season and they all finished among the top four teams in the league. All three should be contenders again this year, with VCU being the hardest hit by graduation.

JMU will once again host the CAA tournament and looks to be a team that could potentially knock Drexel from their top perch. Guard Dawn Evans had a higher scoring average last season that Marginean. The Delaware Blue Hens are another team that could be in the mix. 2008 High School Player of the Year Elena Delle Donne joins the squad after transfering in from Connecticut and sitting out last season. She could instantly propel the young Delaware squad towards the top of the league.

In addition to having a talent laden roster, one other thing that the Dragons gained a season ago was a wealth of experience. They reach the postseason by knocking off 17 time defending CAA champions ODU. They then followed that up the next day in the finals by beating JMU on its home court. Drexel was resilient a year ago, as they had some big comebacks and late wins, such as battles against William & Mary and Northeastern. Can they continue to find that magic again this year and make all the big plays down the stretch? That remains to be seen.

The Dragons schedule this year is as strong as it has been in recent memory. They open up with Big Ten power Penn State at home on November 13th. They then travel to Maryland to play the Terps in another huge test. A third potential elite opponent awaits in Villanova, if they both advance in the Wildcat Classic. That could pit Coach Dillon against her mentor Harry Perretta. In conference games, JMU, VCU and Delaware will all make trips to the DAC.

It should be another exciting season in University City. This time the expectations are higher and there is now a target on the backs of the Dragons. If last season is any indication though, they should have no problem handling the pressure as they look to repeat.

Looking Ahead

2009-04-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wednesday will be the close of the incredible 2008-09 season for the Drexel Women's team. That's because the basketball banquet will take place to honor the CAA Champs as well as Seniors Andrea Peterson, Nicole Hester and Brooke Cornish. It caps an incredible run in which the finished the season on a 16 game winning streak before falling to Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament. They ended ODU's NCAA tournament run in the CAA semifinals and then knocked off JMU on their home floor in the final.

The women return a ton of talent next year too as they look to defend their title. CAA Player of the Year Gabriela Marginean comes back as does 3rd team player and all CAA tournament team member Jasmina Rosseel. The seniors will be a big loss, especially from a leadership standpoint. Hopefully the talented group of rising sophomores can take the next step and fill in for those losses. Three of the four players had productive freshman campaigns off the bench and hopefully Ayana Lee will be able to show more off the bench. The incoming freshmen have the potential to provide depth next year as well.

The Dragons didn't have a lot of players missing games because of injuries, but they were banged up. Jasmina had a great second season, but was bothered by kneed trouble all season. She had offseason surgery as did rising sophomore Tyler Hale. Kamile Nacickaite was bothered by foot problems too. Silvia Jankova has yet to take the court after battling knee injuries the first two seasons. A healthy Drexel team could even be more dangerous in 2009-10.

The most interesting thing to me this offseason is following the WNBA and seeing where Gabriela Marginean is projected to be drafted after next year. She's easily the best player in Drexel history and will break numerous records next season. I'm not an expert on the WNBA and hope to watch some games over the summer. I assume she'll have to play small forward at that level and that showing more from the outside would help. She's not the most explosive, athletic or strongest player so I don't know how well she can finish inside against higher competition. She's very crafty, smart and can do a little bit of everything though. Gabi is amazingly productive. She was held under 15 points only once all season. Her free throw shooting is a huge plus too. She's also an outstanding competitor and extremely hardworker. I think she can have success at that level, just hoping she gets a good chance.

Here is the first mock draft that I've found with Gabi listed.

http://wnbadraftsite.com/2010Mock.htm

I didn't update the blog last year for various reasons, but I will try to keep everyone informed on the team next year. I hope the fans that the Dragons have developed will be interested as well as the alumni who are setup throughout the world now. This is a great group to cheer for and this past season has been a fun run. Hopefully next year will be even better.

Women Pick Up First Win Against City Rival

2008-11-19T19:30:00.001-08:00

For awhile this contest looked like a repeat of the opening loss at American. A furious second half, in which they outscored the Hawks 44-26, gave Drexel a 76-61 victory in their first home contest. The game started off slowly, much like the first time around. The Dragons found themselves trailing 10-0 before they knew what hit them. After an ice cold start, Gabriela Marginean got things heated up. Her scoring ability along with more strong play from freshmen Marisa Crane and Kamile Nacickaite really helped turn the tide. The Dragons found themselves down just three at halftime.

The second half started out in similar fashion to the first half, with the Dragons giving up easy baskets and struggling themselves on the offensive end. Marginean continued to look unstoppable as she scored time and time again off the dribble. She's so tough to guard because she has the ability to get all the way to the rim, change directions or pull up and shoot in the lane when a defender steps in. She finishes so well and often draws contact with her playmaking ability. Thanks also to an 8-9 night from the charity stripe, Gabi posted her second straight game over thirty points (35). She was also a key to a Drexel defense that stifled the St. Joe's attack. Gabi drew several offensive fouls on the Hawks throughout the contest.

Sophomore guard Jasmina Rosseel was on fire again from the perimeter as she buried 4 three poitners en route to 16 points. Jasmina nailed a huge bucket down the stretch to extend the Dragon's lead. She also had a very impressive 5 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. Jasmina could look to attack more, but she was very solid during this contest.

As mentioned earlier, the play of the freshmen was outstanding once again. Point guard Marisa Crane brings a speed element to the table that adds another dimension in the Dragons backcourt. She ran the offense effectively, dishing out 4 assists and turning the ball over just once. No one hit bigger shots in the game than the pair of three pointers that Marisa buried. The second one was really a dagger to St. Joe's comeback attempt.

Kamile Nacickaite struggled some from the field, but the freshman lead the way on the glass with 8 rebounds. She also displayed her fine all around game with solid 3 assists and 2 blocked shots to go with her aggressive defense. Both of the freshmen played well on the opponent's half of the court.

Drexel played much more aggressive on the defensive end in this one and forced more turnovers than in their opener. The defense continued to be a problem early on and the team clearly needs to start faster. The full court pressure defense plagued the Dragon's offense down the stretch. They were at least effective enough against it to hold onto a double digit victory.

Gabriela Marginean had a strong season last year, but is just playing out of her mind through the first two games of the season. She is averaging nearly half of Drexel's point thus far. She should see constant double and triple teams throughout the remainder of the season and others will need to step up. When everything comes together, it looks like this team can be a real force in the CAA.

Record Watch

Gabriela Marginean
Season Points to Date: 66 (33 ave.)
Career Points: 1,151 (11th all time)

Michelle Maslowski
Single Season Points Record: 625
Career Points Record: 1,900

Women Drop Opener to American

2008-11-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

While you might have a pretty good idea of what to expect out of your team throughout the season prior to the start, how the team will come out and play in the first game is always a mystery. The Drexel women's basketball team opened their season on the road on Sunday afternoon at American University. The Dragons dropped their first game 74-65.

The women return several key components from last year's 18-12 team, including preseason Player of the Year Gabriela Marginean. With that said, they did have four seniors to replace. The Dragons got off to a slow start. They struggled with turnovers against the American press defense and also played poor defense on the other end of the court. About midway through the half, they found themselves is a hole that they'd be forced to climb out of throughout the remainder of the afternoon.

Drexel had no answer for American's duo Michele Kirk and Liz Lear. Jen Starnstrom, making just her fourth career start, struggled both on defensely and offensively (0-2 shooting and 3 turnovers) at the center position. Talented sophomore guard Jasmina Rooseel started off on fire from the outside, but turned the ball over four times and didn't play well on the defense end either. She was also in foul trouble through most of the game and that limited her minutes. Drexel tried to slow American down on the inside by inserting 6-4 Brook Cornish into the lineup. The struggles continued though for the Dragons as the stumbled into the locker room down 38-23.

Things weren't much better at the start of the second half. Drexel finally got it going with a lineup that included three freshmen, Kamile Nacickaite, Tyler Hale and Marisa Crane. All three brought energy and aggressive defense to the table. Kamile showed her fantastic all around skill set as she shot the ball, drove to the hoop, set up teammates and rebounded. Crane's quick ball handling helped Drexel break the American press. Hale brought effort and activity on both ends for the floor.

The Dragons eventually cut the score to 48-46 before youth got the better of them. They went back to turning the ball over as they had in the first half and had some breakdowns defensively too. The sharper American team was too much to overcome.

While the play of the freshmen was key to keeping Drexel in it for awhile, Marginean was really the catalysis as usual on the offensive end. The star player carried her teammates on her back during that second half run. Despite facing constant double and triple teams, Gabi still managed to score 22 second half points. Even though she had a great game, she uncharacteristically missed 3 or 4 shots from point blank range and that really could've help the Dragons even more in their comeback bid.

One of the big questions coming into this season was how deep this team would be. You never know what to expect from the incoming freshmen until they take the court. The three rookies far exceeded expectations in their debut. That said, they also still made youthful mistakes which cost this team in the end. This squad should only get better as they become more seasoned.

Drexel certainly looks deep at the SF and PF spots. Marginean was a known commodity there, but the play of Nacickaite and Hale should give them a solid rotation (although Marginean won't leave the court much) and flexibilty. Surprisingly absent from that spot was do everything senior forward, Nicole Hester. She has been slowed by injury during the preseason and appeared out of shape in her 12 minutes on the floor. When she works her way back into condition, Dragons forward positions could be downright scary.

The same issues that have hurt Drexel the last few seasons came to surface in the season opener. While they've had production from the forward spot, they've really struggled at the center position. Using the trio of Marginean, Hale and Nacickaite might've been effective against American, but they would likely struggle against the bigger frontcourts in the CAA. To beat and finish ahead of those teams, they are going to need strong defense and rebounding from Jen Stjarnstrom and/or Brooke Cornish. Both will also need to become at least some sort of threat on the offensive end. Hopefully Stjarnstrom can improve and get more comfortable as she spends more time on the court (averaged only 6.5 minutes per game last season). Cornish improved as the season went on last year, so that's a reason for hope.

The other achilles heal for the Dragons over the last few years has been ball handling and more specifically breaking the full court press. Andrea Peterson had a 2 to 1 assist to turnover ratio in the game, but still seemed a bit slow after coming back from a knee injury. Marisa Crane was effective beating the American press when she was inserted into the game, but she needs to improve her decisioning making as was evident by her four turnovers. The turnovers were nearly even in the end, but American's 22-4 advantage in fast break points was the difference in the game.

Drexel is much better at beating the press when Gabi handles the ball, but often they don't look to her to do so until they've turned the ball over several times. The other issue is that even when they successfully break the press, the Dragons rarely convert for easy baskets. Often they waste a lot of time in the backcourt and don't even get into their offensive sets until the shot clock is winding down.

It wasn't a pretty start for the Drexel women, but if last year taught us anything it's that you can't count this team out early. A slow start didn't hinder the team as in 2007-2008 as they still finished 18-12. If they want to improve upon that though, they're going to have to make adjustments in the areas that have hurt them in the past.

Record Watch

Marginean came into her junior campaign just over 800 points shy of the career scoring mark. A running tally of her single season and career total will be posted on here throughout the season.

Gabriela Marginean
Season Points to Date: 31 (31 ave.)
Career Points: 1,116 (13th all time)

Michelle Maslowski
Single Season Points Record: 625
Career Points Record: 1,900

2008 Preview

2008-10-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Losing four seniors is normally desvating to any basketball team. Make no mistake about it, 2008 Drexel Women's team will have some holes to fill. Things are made much easier though when you have the Preseason Player of the Year who after just two seasons has already reached the 1,000 point plateu. That's exactly what the Dragons return with forward Gabriela Marginean (1,085 career points) leading the squad after a surprising 18-12 season and fourth place finish in the CAA.

As a freshman, Gabi broke the single game scoring record and was CAA Rookie of the Year. As a sophomore, she reached 1,000 career points and was runner up in the CAA Player of the Year voting. Gabi is a fantastic scorer because she's nearly impossible to stop off the dribble. She possesses good size and is an outstanding finisher around the rim. Gabi also has a good face up jumper and last year improved by extending her range beyond the three point line. She improved some as a passer too. If she can become more effective at setting up her teammates, the Dragons will be even better offensively. Gabi is a strong rebounder as well on both ends of the floor and often gets points via the offensive glass.

Narissa Suber made her mark over the last 4 years as a sniper in the Drexel backcourt. She shattered virtually all the three point shooting records and her 41% from beyond the arc last year will be tough to replace. Making up that kind of production will likely have to come from multiple players. The good news is the rest of the Dragons combined to shoot 35% from deep. Sophomore Jasmina Rosseel figures to do the most to fill the void left by Suber. As a first year player, she shot nearly 37% from three point land.

As a All CAA Rookie Team Member, Jasmina found herself in the thick of things at key moments down the stretch. She can score off the dribble as well as from deep. She hit some very difficult shot in several of the Dragons' key victories last year. During a few of their toughest losses, she often missed jumpers and/or had key turnovers. More consistency in her second year should be expected a could go a long way to making for another successful Drexel season.

During the 2006-2007, Nicole Hester went through something no player should have to experience. The Dragons forward was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and missed the entire season. She came back last season and was sluggish early on as Drexel got off to a slow start. Once Nicole got back into the shape and started playing well, the Dragons took off. The do everything forward is a glue player for this squad. She can score, rebound, pass, shoot and defend. With her out of the lineup in the CAA tournament, the Dragons once again sputtered and exited in the the quarterfinal round. Nicole's ability to stay healthy during her senior campaign will certainly be a big factor in determining Drexel success.

When steady senior point guard Andrea Peterson went down with an injury early last season things looked bleak for the Dragons. Stacy McCollough (now on the coaching staff) filled in admirably. McCollough is now gone, but Peterson is back for another senior campaign after a medical redshirt. During her first season at Drexel (after transferring from St. John's), Andrea had a solid 1.6 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. She'll certainly give the Dragons a veteran presence at the lead guard spot. Whether she's fully healthy remains to be seen.

Delise Johnson might not have put up big numbers last year in her senior season, but she was a big key to the Dragons success. The energetic center was Drexel's most physical player and a good post defender. She was also a solid rebounder and an emotional leader. On a team that wasn't very physical, her toughness will be difficult to replace.

Brooke Cornish, the 6-4 back up center a year ago, likely won't develop into a physical player, but she did prove to be a very effective shot blocker off the bench a year ago. Improving even more on the defensive end could really help the Dragons out to against the much bigger front courts that they typically face in the CAA.

On the offensive side of things, Brooke started off the year by struggling convert on the most basic shots. A very encouraging sign though is that she improved in that area as the year when on and became a pretty efficient player by season's end. The Dragons don't need her to be a dominant scorer, but they do need her to be a scoring threat in the low post (particularly for her size). Brooke will need to be strong on the boards too as the Dragons were near the bottom of the CAA in that category last season.

The Dragons are losing several key players from a year ago and while they might be fine in the starting rotation, the bench play will certainly be a big question mark. The fourth senior that they lost was Anora Suber (Narissa's twin). A four year role player for Drexel will be something that they'll need to replace.

Alison Lupariello (2.1 points per game) will be the leading returner on the bench. Alison is another long ball threat and most of her shots come from beyond the arc. She has near unlimited range. The junior guard must improve on her 26 assists to 28 turnovers from a season ago.

Jen Stjarnstrom, 6-1 junior forward, should see more action than in her first two seasons due to the departure of Delise Johnson. Jen has shown to be a solid defender at times and she provides some size in the front court that really could help out against bigger CAA front court. Her ability to defend and rebound will go a long way in determining how much of a factor Jen can be off the bench.

While depth looks to be an area of concern, the Dragons will likely call on their newcomers to ease some of the burden. Reshirt freshman Silvia Jankova is an unknown commodity at guard after missing her first season due to injury. There will certainly be an opportunity to play in the back court with the losses of Narissa Suber and Stacy McCullough.

Speaking of the backcourt, while Andrea Peterson is a clear cut starting point guard, the back up spot is up for grabs. Jasmina Rosseel can play that position at times, but is most suited at the off guard spot. Alison Lupariello needs to cut down on turnovers to see more time at that spot. That leaves an opportunity open for freshmen Marisa Crane (5-5). Some more speed in the back court could certainly be helpful too. Ayana Lee should via for some playing time as well.

The Dragons brought in two forwards in the freshman class. Tyler Hale (6-0) was the Dragons highest rated player and should provide some athletic ability in the front court. Drexel has recently struck gold with foreign players. Will that happen again with 5-11 Kamile Nacickaite from Lithuania?

One of the other majors factors in Drexel's strong 2007-2008 campaign was their ability to hit free throws. Gabriela Marginean is one of the best free throw shooters in the nation and gets to the line at a high rate of frequency. In addition to strong free throw shooting and three point shooting, the Dragons also had the league's top scoring defense a year ago. They will need to sustain that play in all three areas for another successful season.

Anytime you have a player the caliber of Gabriela Marginean you should be competitive. How much the other players around her can step up and replace the four graduated seniors will determine how far this team goes. Some of the younger players will have to improve and production from the bench will be a key. Look for the Dragons to make more noise this upcoming season.

Nine Straight Wins

2008-01-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

The red hot Dragons have yet to cool off as they won their ninth straight with a 63-50 victory over UNCW at the DAC on Sunday afternoon. The great shooting that has been one of the staples of this current run continued again as Drexel buried 11 three pointers. Not only did they shoot well, but the Dragons played excellent defense once again too. They jumped the passing lanes a number of times and made the Seahawks work for every basket.

I've talked all year about the big three (Gabriela Marginean, Narissa Suber and Nicole Hester) and they were good once again, but it's the depth and the role players that have been a huge success for this team too. Stacy McCullough isn't a flashy point guard, but she plays hard and smart. She took advantage today and buried a couple open jumpers for 8 points. She also had some really nice passes and a few steals with her aggressive defense too. Stacy has really taken advantage of her playing opportunity (following Andrea Peterson's injury) and provided steady senior leadership on the court. Alison Lupariello came off the bench today and hit several big shots including a three pointer that pushed the Dragons lead to double digits. She finished with 9 points. Delise Johnson doesn't provide a lot of scoring, but she has been playing with a lot of energy and effort. She could be found diving on the floor for loose balls today as well as applying tough pressure defense. She also had several nice passes. This entire team moves the ball well and excellent passing is leading to open shots.

The big three played strong as usually. Nicole Hester was huge, especially early on a she hit three baskets from beyond the arc. She also distributed the ball very well and matched a career high with 8 assists. Narissa Suber buried a few three pointers as usual and also had several nice drives.

Gabi still got her points, but was stifled by the UNCW defense early. She was clearly frustrated and forced some shots. She's a solid shooter, but much better in that area when she gets open jumpers within the offense. Her teammates were playing well and she didn't need to try to force the action. In the second half, she played much more within the system and scored several easy baskets. She took advantage of her teammates breaking the UNCW press. Gabi still had a solid game.

The Dragons faced a tough opponent today and weren't fazed. They are clearly going to be able to compete with some of the better teams in the league. UNCW went to a full court press defense early in the second half and Drexel was flustered for awhile. They regain control and began getting easy baskets. While their ball handlers aren't outstanding, it is really tough to press them when Gabi can dribble so well.

Thursday will be a huge road test and unbeatens collide in Towson, Maryland. This will be a good opportunity to show the rest of the league that they are going to be a force the remainder of the season. Let's hope they can extend the win streak to double digits.

Women Extend Streak to Eight

2008-01-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

The women continued their hot play with another impressive home victory 71-66 over Northeastern. The win may have been against a last place team, but the Huskies certainly didn't play that way. They shot very well (over 49%) and led by two at halftime. The Dragons are going to start taking their opposition's best shot. They did so on this day and battled through for a win.

Drexel started off on fire and opened up a comfortable early lead. They struggled defensively though as the first half went on as Northeastern scored a number of easy baskets. The undersized Huskies were quicker early on and gave the Dragons difficulty.

The Dragons picked it up in the second half and continued to shoot well (over 60% in the 2nd half). Gabi was fantastic as usual. Last year she poured in the school record 47 points in the 5 OT thrilller. Tonight she wasn't that dominant, but still had 25 points. She even actually had a couple close misses late in the game and still finished 11-19. The sophomore is now approaching 800 career points.

After being named CAA Player of the Week, Narissa Suber had another good game. The sharpshooter was only 1 for 2 from beyond the arc. Instead she took advantage of a mismatch and attacked off the dribble. She did miss a few times around the rim, but also followed up her shot on a couple occasions.

Nicole Hester put together another fine all around game too. The talented forward sure fills up the stat sheet. She finished with 12 points (4 of 6 from the field), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, only 1 turnover, 2 blocks and a steal. Her ability to drive and finish or shoot or distribute are causing a lot of problems around the league. Jasmina Rosseel continues to really help this team off the bench. She finished with 8 points and has become a very deadly three point shooter. She dished out 4 assists as well.

Foul shooting is another area that can't be overlooked with this team. They were 15 of 16 from the charity stripe and scored 11 more points from there thanks to their aggressive play. They are second in the conference to only Northeastern from the line.

This team still hasn't faced any real stiff competition from the top of the league so it's tough to figure out just how good they are. They have been on fire from the field and it would be tough to see that continue at this level all season. That said, they have really worked for good shots and clearly have talented shooters on the roster. With neither Brooke Cornish or Delise Johnson playing physical inside, there will be some concern when they play bigger teams. Brooke has been great blocking shots, but really struggled today against the smaller and quicker Huskies. Delise was pretty solid defensively though. Rebouding hasn't hurt this team yet, but it certainly can against some of those teams. It's been a fun ride over the last few weeks and we can only hope it'll continue.

Dragons Slay Rival

2008-01-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

On the surface it looked like a red hot Drexel team that has won 6 straight games against a young Delaware team that is struggling to find itself at 2-12. Look deeper though and you'll find more than that. The Dragons hadn't knocked off their arch rivals in the last 18 tries. There have been a number of close losses and that has to weigh on your mind anytime things start going wrong. Also, Drexel had been cruising alone against some weaker competition and mostly in the confines of their own gym.

On a night where not everything was going their way, this team responded and pulled up a tough victory. Early on, it looked like a blowout was in the works as Drexel built a commanding lead behind 4 three pointers. The offense then slowed down and the defense was hurt by a closely officaited game. Two of their key players Gabriela Marginean and Nicole Hester had to sit with foul trouble. The Dragons didn't allow Delaware to get on a huge run during that stretch though. Instead they forced the Blue Hens to crawl back into the contest. Delaware eventually took a one point lead into the locker room. With two of her teammates in foul trouble, Narissa Suber really stepped up in the first half and helped keep the game within reach.

Once Gabi and Nicole were able to get back on the floor in the second half, it was a completely different game. Gabi was nearly unguardable as she sliced through the lane. Nicole was efficient shooting and grabbed some rebounds. Perhaps most impressive were several beautiful passes for her 5 assists. As her play and minutes have improved, so have the Dragons. Narissa continued her strong play in the second half and was perfect on the day from the charity stripe (11-11). She hit a couple jumpers, but also cut well into the lane to get herself free. Jasmina Rosseel played well again. Her quickness and deft shooting touch gave the Blue Hens defense problems. She also chipped in defensively when some of her other teammates had trouble with Kyle DeHaven's quickness.

The Drexel defense adjusted in the second half and also helped key the victory. Instead of playing pressure defense and allowing the Blue Hens to get by with the dribble, Drexel backed off and forced them to execute from the perimeter. Delaware failed to do so as they hit no three pointers in the game. While the defense was solid, the rebounding really struggled. The Blue Hens were much bigger and pulled down an astounding 22 offensive rebounds. This is an area that will continue to hurt the Dragons as the season moves along. They just don't have the physical player inside to compete with bigger teams.

It wasn't the toughest team Drexel will face, but tonight's win got them off to a good start in the CAA. They also were able to get a huge monkey off their back as they snapped the Blue Hens streak. It has been like night and day watching this team now compared with the beginning of the year. Early on, they struggled so much that they couldn't even get into offensive plays. They were turning the ball over so much. Now they are taking care of the ball much better and their offensive sets are so much crisper. As Nicole Hester's production has been huge as of late. Now Drexel has to keep it going as more difficult opposition is just around the corner. They certainly looked poised to give the rest of the CAA fits.

Women Continue to Roll

2008-01-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

After a sluggish start, the Dragons have really started to kick it into high gear as they won their fifth straight on Sunday afternoon 59-30 over Hofstra. In the last three victories, the Dragons have outscored the opposite 215 to 133.

Not suprisingly Gabi has been playing well. She's shooting the highest percentage from behind the arc as anyone on the team as well as dominating around the basket. She's just a master at scoring in traffic. Gabi is already approching 750 points in less than a season and a half.

Perhaps the biggest difference in this team is the play of Nicole Hester. Earlier in the season, she looked like she was struggling to get back into game shape. Now she is back to her old ways. She's scoring off the dribble, from the perimeter as well as rebounding and distributing the ball. Nicole is such a solid all around player and the glue type of player this team really missed last year.

Narissa is really bouncing back after a sub-par (by her standards) season shooting the ball last year. She isn't shooting a lot, but has been very consistent. Narissa is doing a very good job as a secondary scorer. She's also taking care of the ball.

Stacy McCollough is an outstanding story for Drexel. She started her career as a walk on. She battled through knee injuries and is now getting a chance to start. She isn't much of an offensive threat, but has provided steady ball handling. She's part of a solid three guard rotation that has come in a played solid when replacing the injured Andrea Peterson. Alison Lupariello has protected the ball as well and has rained down three pointers at a high rate. Freshman Jasmina Rosseel has also been shooting well. She just needs to learn to cut back on the turnovers and run the offense better.

Defensively the Dragons have been sound lately. That has really started with some good shot blocking by Brooke Cornish off the bench. She has blocked 4 shots in each of the two games this weekend. Her size and timing can give Drexel and intiminating backline player. Hopefully she'll learn how to finish better on the other end though. She gets pretty good position there, but just doesn't have a good feel of where she is in relation to the hoop. She'll really be needed defensively and on the boards most though during CAA play.

There are still some concerns about ball handling with this team as well as interior play. The guards replacing Peterson have been solid, but the competition hasn't been strong lately. When they are pressed (as early on today) they take a long time to get the ball across mid court. This often leaves them with little time to run the offense. Hopefully the Dragons can handle the ball well against the more talented guards in the CAA. Also, while Brooke's play on defense has been great inside it has been against smaller teams. She doesn't play physical so it'll be interesting to see if she can stop the bigger CAA players. If she continues to play well defensively then she definately deserves more minutes.

The other big question is whether or not the Dragons can win away from home. They have just one road win thus far (at Monmouth). They did play well at Penn St. earlier in the season though. Can they win in the CAA on the road though? The first test will come this week at Delaware. Although the Blue Hens are having a terrible season, Drexel has really struggled at the Bob for years. This team is certainly playing well and it looks like they'll be good enough to suprise some people. It's still going to be difficult to finish near the top of the standings with many CAA teams playing well right now.

Dragons Fall Just Short

2007-11-26T19:03:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

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

2007-10-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

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.