Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, DE -- The University of Delaware women’s basketball was done in by the long-range shooting of Drexel Thursday night as the Blue Hens fell to the Dragons for the first time this decade in a 66-62 Colonial Athletic Association setback at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Drexel (7-6, 2-0 CAA), which won its sixth straight game, outscored Delaware 24-0 from beyond the three-point line as the Dragons hit on 8 of 15 three-pointers and snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Blue Hens. Drexel downed the Hens for the first time since a 75-64 win Jan. 27, 1999.

Senior forward Courtney Irving (at right) led the Blue Hens (2-12, 1-1 CAA) with a career-high 18 points and seven rebounds while fellow senior Kyle DeHaven posted her second double-double this season with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to go with four steals and four assists. Freshman guard Tesia Harris added 12 points for Delaware.

Drexel, which won despite getting off 26 less shots from the field than Delaware, got a game-high 24 points, six rebounds, and perfect 11 of 11 free throw shooting from guard Narissa Suber while Gabriela Marginean added 21 points and Jasmina Rosseel contributed 12 points off the bench. Suber and Rosseel each hit three three-pointers.

“We showed a lack of discipline tonight,” said Delaware head coach Tina Martin, whose squad lost its sixth straight home game at the BCC, the longest streak for a UD team since 1996-97. “We definitely had the opportunity to win this game. It’s frustrating to deal with but we are right there. We are making progress, but we have to play smart and play to our strengths.”

Delaware outrebounded Drexel 39-29 (22-7 on the offensive boards) and the Dragons committed 19 turnovers, but the Hens could not overcome a 20-10 deficit at the foul line and 0 for 8 shooting from beyond the three-point line. Delaware hit 26 of 65 shots from the field while the Dragons took 26 less shots but converted nearly 50 percent of them at 19 for 39.

Drexel stormed out to a 13-2 lead in the first four minutes but Delaware rallied and eventually tied the game at 19-19 and took a 29-28 lead into intermission as Irving hit two layups in the final 1:45 of the stanza.

Marginean, who was saddled with two early fouls and sat out much of the first half, and Rosseel led the Dragons’ second half comeback. Delaware went up by as much as six points at 38-32 on a layup by Harris two and half minutes into the second half, but Marginean and Rosseel combined for Drexel’s first 12 points of the second half.

The Dragons took the lead for good at 40-38 on a Rosseel three-pointer with 14:48 left and Suber connected on another bomb just 43 seconds later for a 43-38 lead.

Delaware stayed in striking range, pulling two within one point at 48-47 on a DeHaven free throw with 10:07 left, but could never regain a share of the lead. Another three-pointer by Suber with 7:10 remaining and one by Rosseel with 4:00 left each gave Drexel eight point leads.

The Hens got as close as three points two more times, but could never draw closer as the Dragons converted six free throws in the final 1:24 to preserve the win.

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