The Guru NCAAW Local Report: Drexel Erases Ten-Point Deficit in 4th Quarter to Beat Charleston While Delaware’s Bid to Rally From 17 on Elon Falls Two Points Short

Guru Note:  The overall low number of games Friday night would not normally be cause to split the report except the nature of the local CAA games and the National/SEC Showdown delayed a day involving LSU and South Carolina due to weather conditions in the South injects a need to have each lead a separate roundup for headline and discussion purposes. The national report is just above this.

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — It’s a long way in terms of games but still a short amount of time between now and March Madness.

So, in spite of the overall 8-8 record, signs are starting to show of the grit that carried Drexel last spring from a seventh seed through a four-day run to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) title and third appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Six days after Amaris Baker hit a buzzer-beater to carry the Dragons past Hampton on the road, back in the Daskalakis Athletic Center Friday night, Drexel slipped to a 43-33, 10-point deficit to Charleston with 5:43 left in regulation and then spurred by a pair of threes from Holy Cross graduate guard transfer Cara McCormack fought back to ultimately inch ahead in the final two minutes for a 58-56 victory.

Baker finished with 19 points for the Dragons (8-8, 4-2 CAA), while McCormack added 13 with four assists, while the rest of the squad contributed in many ways.

Charleston (12-5, 3-3), which fell to Saint Joseph’s last month across town in the title game of the annual Hawk Classic, got 16 points from Lara Rohkohl with nine boards, while Taryn Barbot double doubled her way to 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Sophia Tougas scored nine.

Elsewhere in the CAA, Elon, which comes here Sunday in a game moved from 2 p.m. to 1 p.m. because of the Eagles’ NFC championship 3 p.m. game down at Lincoln Financial Field to decide one of the Super Bowl representatives, short-circuited a Delaware rally to win 69-67 in the only other local game on Friday’s card.

The game will air on both FloSports and NBC Sports Philadelphia+.

Monmouth hit North Carolina A&T (10-8, 5-1) with its first conference loss, a 54-49 setback.

Despite that, the squad is still alone in first place, while Elon (11-6, 5-1) is a half-game back in second place, followed by Hofstra, Drexel, and William & Mary tied for third, followed by five teams with three CAA losses.

“Execution was huge for us tonight,” said veteran coach Amy Mallon, who’s in her fifth season running the show after Denise Dillon returned to her alma mater at Villanova following the retirement of Harry Perretta. Mallon, overall, the previous time being on Dillon’s staff, has been with the program 21 seasons.

“That’s what needs to be with our team and how we play. We only play them once, so it was important get them at home, so really, really, happy with the win.”

“This is a team sport, so yes you have confidence in the ability,” Baker said, in terms of gaining the momentum of wins from performances such as the last two successive games.

Freshman Iriona Gravley brought the Dragons to a tie with 2:39 left and after Charleston went 1-2 from the line on the next possession, sophomore Laine McGurk scored on a second-chance possession outside the paint to regain the lead from earlier in the game.

The visitors than tied it on another 1-2 from the line before Baker fired a three from deep for a 52-49 lead with 1:06 left.

In the final minute, the wheels were turning every few seconds from both coaches making moves, taking time outs and advancing the ball.

“I try to be calm in those situations,” Mallon said of designing strategy to escape with a win.

Charleston connected with two from the line but then Chloe Hodges went inside for a quick answer and a 54-51 lead with 50 seconds to go.

Then Rohkohl scored inside the paint, and it was a one-point lead again with with 42 seconds left.

Reminiscent of not too long ago when Keishana Washington was among the top of the scorers in the nation, Baker’s shot with 21 seconds left made it 56-53.

Charleston missed an attempted perimeter shot with 14 seconds left, Baker got fouled on the next possession, and after missing the first from the line before the homecoming weekend crowd, she sank the second for a 57-53 lead with 10 seconds left.

Rohkohl scored with five seconds to make it a one-possession game and then Baker was quickly fouled but before she went to the line, officials took a bit of time checking what the read on the clock should be.

“Nothing like freezing your shooter,” Mallon said, describing what it’s like being the eye of the Drexel storm with all the moves taking place.

“It didn’t take them all that long, but standing there waiting for their adjustment, it felt like an eternity.”

Baker then went to the line and made the first and missed the second.

Charleston grabbed the rebound but as the clock ran down, Nyah Willis launched a desperation three that was off the mark and Drexel had its victory.

In the Delaware game, Elon (11-6, 5-1) built a 17-point lead before the host Blue Hens (4-12, 1-5) built a rally, highlighted by an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Tara Cousins personally produced a 6-0 stretch to bring Delaware within a point 68-67 with 17 seconds remaining in regulation.

However, with one final chance to pull the game out, Delaware couldn’t convert.

The injury situation, that caused the Blue Hens last month to play with a limited roster but then as the numbers of eligible players went below the dew line, cancel two road games, is now on the upswing, Arantxa Portalez was back in the lineup following a 48-day absent.

Rebecca Demeke had a tean-high 13 points and converted 3-for-5 from deep, which Cousins scored 12, and duplicated Demeke’s effort beyond the arc. Chloe Wilson scored 10 with eight boards.

Jayda Angel scored 14 for Elon, while the Phoenix got 13 from Raven Preston, and Laila Anderson scored 11.

While Elon comes here, in change partners mode, Charleston is at Delaware for a 2 p.m. tip at the Bob Carpenter Center Sunday in Newark. That game also airs on FloSports.

Looking Ahead Locally

On Saturday, its head-to-head in the A-10 as Saint Joseph’s goes for a sweep hosting La Salle at Hagan Arena at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

It’s also Alumni Day.

Villanova celebrates annual Alumni Day and girl/daddy day hosting Xavier in a Big East game at Finneran Pavilion at 2 p.m. on FloSports.

Temple looks to keep its AAC streak going when its hosts Tulane at 2 p.m. in the Liacouras Center on ESPN+.

The two local Ivies are on the road looking to bounce back, Penn visits Columbia at 2 p.m. in Levien Gym on Broadway on New York City’s Upper West Side, while Princeton visits Cornell in Newman Arena at 1 p.m. in Ithaca, N.Y., both on ESPN+.

Another local head-to-head, this one in the Patriot League as Lafayette visits Lehigh at 4:30 p.m. at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem on ESPN+.

Rider hosts Quinnipiac at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ at Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Locally, Sunday, besides the Eagles hosting The Washington Generals for a trip to the Super Bowl, and the CAA games listed earlier above, its also the Basement Bowl in the Big Ten, in a manner of speaking, in a local head-to-head as Rutgers, (8-12, 0-9) in the first of two within the conference against a rivalry dating back to dual membership in the Atlantic 10 and before that in Region IB in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) travels to Penn State (10-10, 1-8), whose sole conference win was the stunning upset at home last Sunday of then-No. 9 Ohio State.

So how can it be stated Basement Bowl if the Lady Lions are at this hour just above the cut of three bottom teams for the Big Ten tournament, caused by the size of the conference now with 18 teams after realignment, Northwestern (7-11, 0-7) and Purdue (7-12, 0-8) right behind?

Simply, if the Scarlet Knights win, they have identical records, thus head-to-head puts Rutgers in 15th place.

Obviously, though, neither team has yet played the other two listed.

Which means, this is going to be its own round-robin, and obviously, there’s a major effect if either in the rest of the schedule duplicates the Penn State win over the Buckeyes or any team above the cut.

Rutgers will host Purdue on Feb. 9 and Northwestern on Feb. 17, finishing up hosting Penn State on March 2 at 2 p.m.

The Scarlet Knights above the line host Illinois Jan. 30, visit Indiana Feb. 6, visit Iowa Feb. 13 and travel to Washington Feb. 20 and Oregon Feb. 23

Penn State hosts No. 8 Maryland Jan. 29, Washington Feb. 5, visits Northwestern Feb. 9, Illinois Feb. 13, hosts Wisconsin Feb. 16, visits No. 24 Michigan Feb. 22, hosts Purdue Feb. 27 before the end-of-the-regular-season trip to Rutgers.

Purdue hosts Northwestern Feb. 12, while those Wildcats playing the Boilermakers, still have UCLA and Southern Cal out West, the two games recently postponed when Northwestern chose not to fly to Los Angeles due to the current raging wildfires, the games yet to be rescheduled. Northwestern also hosts Maryland Feb. 20.

One could label all this escape the cut competition the Process tournament after the famous 76ers NBA tank job but finishing below and out does not offer a lottery position for drafting incoming freshmen from high school or transfers who will have entered the portal.

And that’s your report.