The Guru Report: Grand Night For Drexel’s Washington in Dragons Win While Princeton Edges Buffalo in Overtime and Rutgers Completes a Local Sweep

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — If you missed Drexel capturing the Colonial Athletic Association crown in the conference title game last season or the flow of a recent Saint Joseph’s win on Hawk Hill over Yale in which Cindy Griffin’s squad finally got untracked from what had been a six-game losing streak, the Dragons at home Tuesday night in the Daskalakis Athletic Center provided a recap of all of it.

Like the Hawks in Yale’s last visit to the area several weeks ago, Drexel surged early, leading by 19 in the first half, then squandered all of it and dropped one down at the end of three but came through as the finish approached for a 59-52 victory.

And like the close in the CAA title game against regular season champion Delaware, clutch time was time for Keishana Washington with co-star slots from several teammates to ensure the victory.

Washington had a game-high 25 points, including 13 in the last 13 minutes of play, and with 3:03 left in the third period fired a successful shot from beyond the arc to received her card as the Dragons’ 27th member of the 1,000-point club.

“Very proud of this game and very proud of our team,” said second-year Drexel coach Amy Mallon, who previously served a long stint as current Villanova coach Denise Dillon’s top assistant. “You watch Yale, we knew it was going to be a possession game … and then to have one of your players get her 1,000th point on a night like this, congratulations to Keishana.”

Tessa Brugler had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Drexel (8-2), which dominated the boards 49-27 and tied the 2016-17 contingent of five seasons ago for best ten-game start in program history.

Yale’s 6-5 junior Camilla Emsbo, who looms as trouble on the Bulldogs’ return down the block at The Palestra and home in New Haven playing Penn in the Ivy League, had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Jenna Clark scored 16, propelled by four from deep.

“I am very proud of our team’s fight against a senior-led, very experienced team,” said Yale coach Allison Guth, whose team fell to 6-5.

Trailing by a point, Kate Connolly got Drexel back on the upside with a three-pointer though the Bulldogs retook the lead, gaining a three-point lead just past midway in the fourth.

Washington’s personal 7-0 run flipped the Dragons ahead by four. 

A Yale trey made it a one-point game with two minutes left in regulation. Following a timeout, the Dragons got the ball inside to Brugler, drawing two defenders. She kicked the orb to Maura Hendrixson, who was wide open and she made good on her only points of the evening.

“It’s definitely a great feeling, great accomplishment,” Washington said of her milestone. “Credit to my teammates and my coaches for continuously putting me in the position  to be successful. I’m just happy I was able to do that tonight.”

Drexel will finish non-conference play next Tuesday at 1 p.m., Dec. 21, at Delaware State in Memorial Hall in Dover and then return from the Christmas break diving right into the deep end of the CAA schedule pool, hosting Towson on New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m. and then James Madison, also at 2 p.m., on Jan. 2. 

The visiting Dukes, however, are suspended from all CAA playoffs reacting to their recent announced intentions to join the Sun Belt Conference.

Princeton Gains Five Players in Double Figures to Edge Buffalo in Overtime: Ever since the Bulls made their way out of the Mid-American Conference into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament several years ago, Buffalo has been a force to fear. They proved it again Tuesday night but the Ivy League-favored Tigers had the last word in overtime to gain a 79-77 triumph at home in Jadwin Gym.

It’s the first time Princeton has had five players with at least 10 points or more in four seasons since wining at Brown 77-62 on Feb. 3, 2018.

Julia Cunningham had 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a block, Grace Stone scored 16, Abby Meyers had 12, as did Kaitlyn Chen, and Maggie Connolly scored 11.

Buffalo (6-3) twice committed turnovers near the end of the bonus period that proved costly, while enabling the Tigers to extend their record to 7-3.

Dyaisha Fair erupted for 31 points, spurred by five successful shots from deep, for Buffalo. Cheyenne McEvans scored 16, Summer Hemphill scored 12, and reserve Georgia Woolley scored 14.

Princeton seemed headed for trouble, trailing by eight with 2:47 left in the third period. But the Tigers then erupted on a 9-0 spree to move within one with just the fourth quarter needed to be played.

There were nine ties and eight lead changes in the fourth quarter.

Hemphill drew a foul with one second left in regulation and nailed both attempts to send the teams into the bonus session.

Buffalo’s five-game win streak was stopped with a loss.

Next up a week from Wednesday, Texas, the highest ranked team, currently 11th, ever to visit Princeton, visits at noon.

Non-conference Stops Fruitful For Rutgers: Briefly on a hiatus from the Big Ten schedule after the first week of conference play resulted in losses to nationally-ranked Maryland and at long-time rival Penn State, the Scarlet Knights won their second straight beating visiting Central Connecticut State 56-45 at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J.

Rutgers (6-7) got closer to .500 beating the visitors (1-6).

The Scarlet Knight got off to a blazing start in the opening period with 22 points, shooting 75 percent from the field.

The opposition did rally within nine in the final period but no more.

Tyia Singleton had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Lasha Petree had 10 points and six rebounds. Sayawni Lassiter dealt seven assists for a career best though it should be noted that once the team is making shots, assists will rise if the offense is running to the blueprint.

Ashley Berube scored 14 for CCSU.

The Blue Devils, not those Blue Devils, got within single digits in the third period when Rutgers hit a shooting slump. But the defense forcing five miscues in the fourth and final period enabled the Scarlet Knights to avoid damage.

Rutgers is perfect in the lifetime series playing Central Connecticut, winning all four games and all played at home in central New Jersey.

Interim coach Timothy Eatman saluted the team for the win but still noted that “it was not up to the standard we want to play at. They did share with each other and they got good shots. Practicing they are getting better.

“When you know when the shot is going up, you know if you have a chance to get offensive rebounds. So when you make the shots, how many are offensive rebounds. We have good rebounders. As long as when we know shot is going to be taken … I think we’re moving in the right direction with that.”

The Scarlet Knights remain home and still out of conference hosting Wagner of the Northeast Conference Saturday afternoon.

Nationally noted: There were two games on the Guru’s tracker and in one Northwestern at home at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., topped Milwaukee 55-46 in the Midwest while UCF of the American Conference, of which Temple belongs, won at Seton Hall of the Big East 68-56 at Walsh Gym in South Orange, N.J.

The Wildcats under coach Joe McKeown, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, have won four straight but in this one rallying from a 23-18 halftime deficit outscoring the visitors 37-23 in the second half.

Though the home team (8-3) was without Sydney Wood and Jillian Brown, reserves Laya Hartman and Kaylah Rainey combined for 15 of 20 points off the bench, each hitting two shots from deep against Milwaukee 4-7).

First-year player Caileigh Walsh had 17 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots, and three steals. Veronica Burton, who made a clutch layup late in the game to help preserve the win, had nine points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and and a pair of steals.

Northwestern will host Temple, one of the few Philly teams in action this week, on Friday night in the Midwest.

Up north in the Seton Hall game, UCF (8-1) won its seventh straight and the Pirates dropped to 4-5.

The visitors pulled away in the second period, scoring 18 points for a 35-26 halftime lead.

The differential expanded in the third period with an opening 8-0 run though Seton Hall then rallied 18-4 to make it a three-point game entering the fourth quarter.

In the first three minutes of the final period, UCF rebuilt the advantage to 58-46.

It got back to within six but Diamond Battles, who finished with 22 points and six assists, and Alisha Lewis, who scored 15, pushed the margin back to double digits to keep it comfortable over the final minutes.

Tay Sanders had 12 points, while Masseny Kaba had a near double double with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter had 15 points for the Pirates and Sidney Cooks scored 13.

Looking Ahead: Besides the Temple game mentioned on a lite week due to finals, the local teams playing have on Saturday besides the Rutgers game noted, Penn State is at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Sacred Heart is at La Salle at 2 p.m. at Tom Gola Arena at Trumark Center; and Rider stars play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference hosting favorite Quinnipiac at 2 p.m. at Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Nationally, on Wednesday, another challenge for Dawn Staley’s top-ranked South Carolina squad visiting No. 15 Duke at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network. On Thursday,  No. 17 Georgia is at No. 2 N.C. State; while on Saturday, No. 3 Stanford is at No. 7 Tennessee at 5:15 p.m.; and UCF is at No. 14 Iowa at 7:30 p.m.

On Sunday, the Hall of Fame Showcase is at the Mohegan Sun Arena on ESPN with No. 5 Baylor and No. 13 Michigan reprising their NCAA meeting last season at 1 p.m., No. 7 Connecticut hosting No. 6 Louisville at 3:30 p.m. with the network in between at 3 p.m. airing the WNBA draft lottery.

No. 11 Texas is playing No. 4 Arizona at 5:30 p.m. in Nevada; No. 24 Ohio State is at UCLA at 8 p.m. while Pittsburgh has an ACC attraction at No. 21 Notre Dame at 2 p.m.

And that’s the report.