Drexel’s women’s basketball team is heading into the Big 5 tournament this Sunday. The team has mixed results going into this, as they started off the season strong with a four-game win streak, but dropped three in a row before earning a win against American on Wednesday night.
Drexel’s biggest victory so far came in the season opener against Pittsburgh on Nov. 4th, where the team won 68-60. This victory came in part from junior Laine McGurk, who scored a career-high 33 points. This achievement earned her CAA Player of the Week and Big 5 Player of the Week awards. The win also marked head coach Amy Mallon’s 100th career victory.
In their most recent game this past Wednesday, the Dragons beat American 55-48. Freshman Molly Rullo scored a career high 11 points in her 31 minutes on the court. Prior to the game, guard Amaris Baker was celebrated for scoring her 1000th career point against Marist. To continue her streak, Baker led the team with 20 points in her 38 minutes in the game against the Eagles, going 5 for 5 on her free throw attempts.
During Big 5 pod play on Nov. 12, the Dragons had mixed results, as they went 1-1 in pod play. In their first game against Penn, Drexel defeated the Quakers 72-55. Baker led the team with 18 points, followed by McGurk, who contributed 12, and Grace O’Neill, who scored eight.
In their second pod game against Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 29, Drexel narrowly lost 55-57. Once again, Baker led the team with 22 points, closely followed by McGurk with 20. The Hawks managed to pull ahead with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, winning them a spot in the championship game against Villanova.
Baker was named Dragon of the Week for two straight weeks, Nov. 25th-Dec. 1st, and Nov. 11th-17th. This past week, she led Drexel with 22 points in the game against St. Joes. The game marked her fourth 20-point performance of this season. The Philadelphia, PA native has averaged 20.9 points per game through the first seven contests of the year and is the leading scorer for the team.
Drexel’s performance over the two pod games earned the team a spot in the third-place game at the tournament, where they will play Temple. The Owls are currently 4-4 and undefeated at home. In pod play, they beat La Salle 75-54 and lost to Villanova 58-88. Hopefully, the Dragons can make a comeback in their second year at the Big 5 Classic. Last year marked their first appearance in the Big 5, where they again played in the 3rd place game against Saint Joseph’s and lost 47-69.
The Dragons are 5-3 overall, with a home record of 3-0 and an away record of 2-3. Their next home game will be Tuesday, Dec. 16th at 3:30 pm against Chestnut Hill.
The Dragons are facing the Temple Owls in the Toyota Women’s Big 5 Classic at the Finneran Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 7th.