ELON, N.C. – A fourth quarter charge by Drexel downed the Elon University women’s basketball team on Friday night, Feb. 1, as the Phoenix fell 59-44 to the Dragons in a Colonial Athletic Association contest at Schar Center.
In a rematch of last year’s championship game at the league tournament, Drexel (14-5, 6-2 CAA) handed the Phoenix (7-12, 2-6 CAA) its fifth straight loss overall. The Dragons, who came into the game leading the nation in scoring defense at 48.2 points per game, held the maroon and gold to tie its second-lowest scoring total of the season.
Elon’s Emily Maupin had a team-best 14 points and was 5-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Ariel Colón had 11 points off the bench for the Phoenix, who shot 17-of-42 (.405) from the field and 7-of-10 from the free throw line.
Drexel’s Bailey Greenberg had a game-high 24 points for the Dragons and just missed on a double-double with nine rebounds. The Dragons dominated the Phoenix in the paint, scoring 34 points and also had 28 points off turnovers.
The Rundown
The Phoenix fell behind early to the Dragons after Drexel opened the game ahead 11-2. Elon closed out the opening quarter on a 7-4 run including five points in the final three minutes from Jaylin Powell that pulled Elon closer, 15-9, after the first.
Drexel moved ahead by eight, 17-9, to open the second on a jumper, and had a seven-point advantage, 19-12, on an Aubree Brown layup. The Phoenix then went on a 10-2 run and capped it off by taking the lead, 22-21, on a Colón layup with 2:33 left in the half. Six straight, unanswered points from Greenberg put the Dragons up 27-22, but a pair of free throws from Brie Perpignan cut Drexel’s lead down to three, 27-24, going into the half.
Elon came within one of the Dragons, 29-28, in the first three minutes of the third after a Maupin jumper with 7:12 in the period. Drexel went on an 11-2 run go up by double figures, 40-30, but jumpers from Maupin and Colón cut the Phoenix’s disadvantage back down to six, 40-34. Another Maupin jumper put Elon back at a six-point deficit, 42-36, but a last-second layup from Greenberg before the end of the quarter gave Drexel an eight-point lead, 44-36, going into the final 10 minutes.
A 9-0 run to start the fourth helped the Dragons pull away from the Phoenix. Elon scored its first points of the period on a jumper by Maupin with 5:25 left in the game. A Perpignan jumper lowered the maroon and gold’s deficit to 13, 53-40, but the Phoenix would not get any lower than 11 points in the quarter as Drexel came away with the win.
Up Next
Elon closes out its short homestand on Sunday, Feb. 3, hosting Delaware back in Schar Center. That contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.