Dragons begin road trip in Buffalo

GAME INFO:Sunday, November 27, 2022 – 12:00 PM
Place:Alumni Arena – Amherst, NY

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Opening tip

The Drexel University women’s basketball team embarks on a five-game road trip, venturing to western New York on Sunday, November 27 for a game with the Buffalo Bulls. Tipoff from Alumni Arena in Amherst, NY is scheduled for noon.

Last Game – Four players in double digits as Dragon’s Best Lehigh

Four players scored in double digits and DU began a season-lowest turnover as the Dragons defeated the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 84-61 on Tuesday night.

BY THE FIGURES

• Keisha Washington led all scorers with 33 points. It is her third time this season with 30 or more in a game and her 38th consecutive game in double digits.
• Washington also posted a career-high with 10 assists, earning her first collegiate double-double.
• Kylie Lavelle had 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting. It is her third game this season in which she scores 20+.
• Maura Hendrixson scored 12 in the game to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds. Hetta Satman reached double digits with 11 points and added seven boards.
• As a team, Drexel shot 33-for-64 (51.2 percent) from the field and had 24 assists. The Dragons also went 9-for-17 from three-point range, including four treys from Hendrixson.
• DU only turned the ball five times in the game.

Nationally noteworthy
Keisha Washington and Maura Hendrixson helped each other to some lofty numbers early in the season. Washington averages 30.0 points per game, second in NCAA Division I. While she has an innate ability to score the ball on her own, part of it comes from Hendrixson’s ability to trap her. Furm, as Hendrixson is known to her teammates, is fifth in the nation with 8.2 assists per game. As a team, Drexel does what it often does: Nationally, he’s in the top-10 with the fewest turnovers and currently ranks eighth with 10.5 per game. The Dragons have been in the top-15 nationally with the least turnover per game eight times in the past 11 years.

Conference congratulations

Week two of the season ended the same way as week one, with Drexel earning Colonial Athletic Association honors. This time the Dragons took home the prizes Keisha Washington was named Player of the Week and Kylie Lavelle was named Rookie of the Week. It is the second week in a row that Lavelle was named the best newcomer in the league.

30 is the new 20

For the first time as a member of the CAA, DU has had a player score 30 or more points in four consecutive games. Keisha Washington clinched the feat against Rider, UMES and Lehigh with Kylie Lavelle doing the work at La Salle. The team came closest in February 2009 when Gabriela Marginean posted 31 against William & Mary and 40 against Old Dominion before scoring 29 against Georgia State.

Line it up

UMES continued to set Keisha Washington on the line and Washington continued to make them on November 19. The 16 tries and 19 tries are the most for a Drexel player since Bailey Greenberg went 19-of-21 at the charity streak in the season opener against Quinnipiac on November 5, 2019.

TV time

Tuesday was the Dragons first game on an NBC Sports Philadelphia platform in 2022-23. Drexel has played well when given the chance to get on TV, going 16-2 in games on NBC Sports Philadelphia or NBC Sports Philadelphia+ since the start of the 2018-19 season.

A start like no other

It’s been a great four game run Kylie Lavelle to open her collegiate career. Her 31 points against La Salle are the most for a Drexel freshman in a regulation game in program history. Prior to November 15, two players had 29 without needing overtime, Barbara Yost (12/3/85 vs. Philadelphia Textile) and Michelle Maslowski (1/27/99 at Delaware). Lavelle’s 82 points in four games is also the most for a Drexel freshman, eclipsing Gabriela Marginean’s 70 in 2006. Finally, the 20 points Lavelle scored in the opener against Rider is the second highest for a Dragon in her collegiate debut. Maslowski scored 22 against UMBC on November 26, 1998.

38 And counting
Keisha Washington extended her streak of double-digit scoring games to 38 by tallying 33 against Lehigh. It is the second longest streak in the program’s history after a 52-game streak for Gabriela Marginean, which began on January 8, 2009, and stretched to the end of her career.

Climb the ladder

In addition to being seventh on Drexel’s scoring list and surpassing 1,600 points for her time on Market Street, Keisha Washington rises in the NCAA charts. Her 1,625 career points currently rank 21st among active Division I players. She trails Portland’s Alex Fowler by seven points to move into the next spot on the list. She moved up one spot on the active career standings with her effort against Lehigh.

Reconnaissance report

Buffalo starts the season 1-2, coming off a 70-68 loss to Division II Mercyhurst on Tuesday. The Bulls were voted 10th of 12 teams in the MAC preseason poll.

Zakiyah Winfield leads the offense for Buffalo, who scores 16.7 points per game. She is joined in double digits by Jazmine Young, with a score of 11.0. Just below that, Re’Shawna Stone is a solid third scoring opportunity at 97 PPG. Winfield racks up 11.3 rebounds per game and also leads the team with 12 assists.

The Bulls have done a good job of containing the opposing offense this season as they surrendered 57 points to Canisius and 56 to Stonehill while finishing third defensively in the MAC with 61.0 points per game. The impressive defense has been important, as Buffalo has a -6.0 rebound margin against Division I opponents this season.

The newest coach in the Mid-American Conference, Becky Burke, is in her first season at the helm of the Bulls. 2022-23 is her seventh year as collegiate head coach with two years at Embry-Riddle, two seasons at D2 Charleston (WV), and most recently a few years at USC Upstate. Last year, she led the Spartans to a program-record 22 wins and the number 3 seed in the Big South Tournament.

Series of all time

Sunday marks the third all-time meeting between the Bulls and the Dragons, with Buffalo winning both previous matchups.

Last time against Buffalo

Bailey Greenberg scored 16 points and Mariah Leonard added 11, but Drexel fell in a defensive battle with the Bulls, 63-59 on November 30, 2019 at the Hawk Classic hosted by Saint Joseph’s.

Don’t I know you?

Despite no players appearing on the Bulls roster in the 2019 game against Drexel, two Buffalo players have experience against the Dragons at their previous CAA settings. Latrice Perkins played in six games against Drexel as Charleston averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Kiara Johnson took on DU twice while at Towson, both in 2021, recording eight points and eight rebounds in a total of 25 minutes.

Finish what you start

The streak goes to 50 for DU in winning games when leading at halftime. Drexel hasn’t lost a game it led at halftime since a 53-49 upset at Penn on December 20, 2019. Drexel went 24-0 as he led after 20 minutes in 2021-22.

All in the family
Grace O’Neill may be a newcomer to the Dragons this year, but she’s no stranger to the program and its associated culture. Her cousin, Meghan Creighton, is one of the most decorated players in the program’s history. Creighton held the record for team appearances through last season and was part of the 2013 WNIT championship team.

International flair

While it was not uncommon for Drexel to have several international players on its roster over the past 15 seasons, this year’s trio is unique in that they are all the first players from their countries to line up for the Dragons. Keisha Washington (Pickering, Ontario) was the first Canadian player to appear for DU, followed by It is broken? (Montreal, Quebec) last year. Chloe Hodges (Adelaide, Australia) is the first Down Under player to play for Drexel.

Among our peers

People across the country have noticed Dragons success as Drexel ranks seventh in the latest Mid Major Top 25. DU is the only CAA team in the poll with Delaware receiving votes.

Next one

The Dragons continue their road trip, traveling to Longwood on Wednesday, November 30. The tipoff from Willett Hall in Farmville, Virginia is scheduled for 6:00 PM.