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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Drexel Improves to 5-2 After Dominant Home Victory Against Dartmouth

By Nick Borowski, 12/02/21, 11:45PM EST

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PHILADELPHIA – After finishing 1-1 in the San Diego Thanksgiving Tournament, Drexel (5-2) returned home to the Daskalakis Athletic Center to take on winless Dartmouth (0-5). Drexel started hot and never looked back, winning the game 67-44.

Drexel senior guard Keishana Washington led all scorers with 17 points. Every time Dartmouth put together a few baskets, Washington answered with a timely three-pointer, shooting 4-6 from behind the arc.

The Dragons came out firing, opening the game on a 10-0 run. Dartmouth sophomore guard Mia Curtis made a three to stop the bleeding, but it was only temporarily after Drexel finished the last 4:21 of the quarter on a 6-2 run. Drexel led 16-5 after the first 10 minutes.

In the first five minutes of the second quarter, the teams began trading baskets.

At 4:58, Washington made a key three-pointer. Following that shot on the inbound, Drexel fifth year guard Hannah Nihill was sneakily trailing Dartmouth guard Mekkena Boyd and stole the ball. Nihill fed the ball to forward Tessa Brugler and she finished the layup to put Drexel up 30-11, prompting a Dartmouth timeout.

Drexel vs. Dartmouth Game Highlights by Nick Borowski:

Dartmouth forward freshman Grace Niekelski, a local standout from Mount Saint Joseph Academy, scored six of the Big Green’s 10 points in the second quarter, but it was not enough to keep up with the Dragon’s offense that scored 21 points in the second quarter. To finish the second quarter, Drexel forward Jasmine Valentine rebounded a miss and made a layup at the buzzer to put Drexel up 37-15 at halftime.

Curtis had five of Dartmouth’s 10 points in the quarter, trying to keep the Big Green in the game, but they could not keep up with Washington. Washington took over for the Dragons in the third quarter scoring 13 of the 15 points in the quarter. She single handedly outscored Dartmouth 13-11 in the quarter and her offensive prowess helped blow open the game. At the end of the quarter, Drexel led 52-26.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Dartmouth could have rolled over and quit, but they responded. The Big Green opened the quarter on a 6-0 run. Drexel forward Kate Connolly made a jumper to stop the run. The Big Green picked up intensity and tightened up on defense which led to opportunities in transition, leading to easy baskets. Dartmouth guards Carrington Washburn and Curtis combined for 13 points in the fourth. Dartmouth ultimately won the quarter 18-15, but Drexel won the game 67-44.

The Drexel Dragons look to carry this momentum as they travel to Bangor, Maine to play the Maine Black Bears (2-5) on Saturday, Dec. 4 at Noon.

The Dartmouth Big Green will head back home, searching for their first win, and welcome the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (4-2) on Friday evening.