PHILADELPHIA, PA. 12/3/2015 – The visiting Commodores of Vanderbilt of the Southeast Conference visited the DAC and shot over 58% for the game and made nearly half of their three-point shots to come away with a 74 – 64 won over the Drexel Dragons. The ability of Vandy to get the easy baskets and open looks was the difference.
“We didn’t get the stops when we needed to,” said Drexel Coach Denise Dillon. “We allowed too many points off the drive. Once we contained when they drove, they kicked it out for the easy shot.”
“You’re giving up layups, that’s why they shot 58%, high-percentage shots.”
The Dragons trailed 30 – 20 at halftime and could not get the defensive stops to close the gap in the third quarter as the lead never got below double figures in the quarter. Drexel did not string together an offensive run either which added to their difficulty.
“We had a couple of opportunities in the third quarter to set a tempo for ourselves, but missed some shots, then turned it over,” Dillon said. “It’s just understanding the importance of every possession. We were in an uphill battle. You have to be ready from the beginning and be ready to mentally grind it out from start to finish.”
In the fourth quarter the Dragons did get to within 9 points on a three-pointer by Rachel Pearson with 4:05 to play. Vanderbilt (6 – 2) answered with 6 consecutive free throws to decide the game.
Rachel Bell scored a career-high 23 points to lead Vandy making 10 of 14 field goal attempts and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Kristen Gaffney added 11 points as she made 4 of 5 from the floor and went 3 for 3 from the free throw line.
The Commodores are coached by Melanie Balcomb who was born in Princeton, NJ and is a graduate of Trenton State College (now known as the College of New Jersey).
Jessica Pellechio set a season-high 19 points for the Dragons making 6 of 8 from the field, converting 5 of 6 three-pointers. Sarah Curran led Drexel tied her season-high 23 points (8 – 15 field goal attempts and 4 of 5 from distance). Curran leads the Dragons in scoring at 17.8 points per game and in rebounding with 32, and continues to make contributions to her team.
“Sarah has been our most consistent player,” said Dillon. “Everything is going through Sarah. She is playing every possession offensively and defensively like it is her last.”
Drexel drops to 2 – 4 on the season. The Dragons travel to Hampton next then stay in the city for games against Saint Joseph’s and Penn.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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