The Guru Local WNIT Report: Drexel Rallies From Early Deficit and Holds To Claim First Round Home Victory 54-47 Over Norfolk State

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — Two days removed from a tough elimination from longtime rival Delaware here at Drexel in the title game of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament and a heavy senior class perhaps facing its final game in uniform, the Dragons pulled it together Thursday night and put some distance in the closing minutes to beat Norfolk State 54-47 in an opening round game of the WNIT at the Daslakakis Athletic Center.

While Keishana Washington got her share of points with 16 andTessa Brugler scored 13 besides grabbing seven rebounds, an additional force was senior guard and Garnet Valley alum Maura Hendrixson, who grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

“This time of the year, it’s win and advance and that’s your goal,” said Drexel coach Amy Mallon. “You’re going to face very tough teams, anyone you’re playing, that’s a tough team, so and I thought Norfolk State did a very good job pressuring us and taking us out of what we wanted us to do, but I thought we did a good job of staying composed.

I thought we did a good job making sure we were taking great shots. We did a great job on the boards making sure we did a good job making sure we got second chance opportunities.”

It’s the first time Drexel moved out of the first round in four seasons, though in 2020 the overall postseason was cancelled by the pandemic and, of course, a year ago the Dragons made it to the NCAA bubble in San Antonio.

Either team could have easily been part of the field of the NCAA tournament, that heads Friday for the first part of the opening round with the the new First Four segment completed Thursday night.

Norfolk State (17-12) was part of a three-way finish at 11-3 atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the regular season while the Dragon moved up to 27-5 after finishing in first at 16-2 but suffering the Blue Hens’ revenge on Sunday when Drexel did likewise a year ago.

Delaware opens NCAA play Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. playing the fourth seed and host Maryland in College Park after Virginia Tech plays Florida Gulf Coast in the 2:30 p.m. opener in the XFINITY Center.

Deja Francis scored 12 points for the visitors, while Camille Downs and Mahoganie Williams each scored 10 points.

“I was telling Maura Hendrixson, because she’s been injured, this is her first opportunity to play in the postseason and she couldn’t have done a better job today,”Mallon said.

“She almost had a triple double but I called a timeout and she didn’t get the three.”

Hendrixson also dished 8 assists and senior grad Hannah Nihill scored nine points.

“We didn’t quite win it (CAA) but I told my team in the big picture, we won 27 teams on the year and a team that does that that’s an impressive team and a team that deserves to be where we are right now,” Mallon said.

As for the rebounding, Henrixson said, “That was really important and part of our game plan. When our shots aren’t falling, we have to do the little things to help us in the long run,

“Our game plan was to make sure they took contested shots, that every shot they took was going to be harder to make. Getting rebounds was definitely a key to the game.”

Mallon said with the short turnaround from Sunday’s championship, the ability to watch film as late as theWNIT pairings didn’t get known till Monday limited the ability to watch film as as for the Norfolk State style, she said, “very quick. They play a zone, which is hard, and the thing about a matchup is you can’t always dictate, who is going to get the shots, so you have to move the ball and get the ball to open people and you have to get comfortable in that.

“Their quickness kept us from our transition a little bit because they’re quick enough to get back in time. We really had to fight for the points that we did get.”

Then, as opposed to some other teams not playing till Friday, there was the emotions coming out of a championship many expected for Drexel to repeat, not that Delaware was some darkhourse.

“I’ve said all year long, this team is tough,” Mallon said. “We have found ways to win and the end result Sunday wasn’t what we wanted, but I also said we talk about tough teams and tough teams go back and they find a way.

“Our team got right back up and they went back at it. The two days to be back on our home court again, you really hear this year a lot, this is a time for redemption to get back on our home court and play another home game, I credit our department a lot, and our university to be back here.

“But I said that’s tough, too. To step back here on your court that you really had a tough loss and find a way to win. This team at Drexel is one of the toughest teams that’s ever played at Drexel at the time I’ve been here. Just, really, really proud to bounce back.”

Drexel’s next opponent has yet to be determined from two teams playing Friday and the site won’t be determined until that game is concluded between Fordham and Bucknell.

But it’s intriguing because Fordham is coached by former Villanova star and Saint Joseph’s coach Stephanie Gaitley, while Brugler played for Bucknell a year ago until she transferred to Drexel.

“Yeah, Tess and I said (if advancing to round two), we’re either playing my forther coach or your former coach,” Mallon smiled. “One way or another we’re going to have a little idea what they want to do on the court, but two tough teams. Two disciplined teams in Bucknell, we’ve faced in the past.

“Obviously, Fordham, just they’re overall. It is going to be a battle, but we expected that whoever we play. And we expect that this time of year whoever we’re going to face.

“As for me, I’d be happy to play another game on our home court. But as of now, we don’t know.”

And that’s this report.