Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

PHILADELPHIA -- Freshman Elena Delle Donne drained 31 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for her eighth career double-double, but the University of Delaware women’s basketball team lost its second consecutive heartbreaker in overtime to Drexel University, 60-58, in Colonial Athletic Association action at Daskalakis Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon.

Delaware (13-7, 5-4 CAA) and Drexel (14-6, 8-1 CAA) battled through regulation and into overtime tying the game on six occasions as the lead changed nine times, but it was the host Dragons who came away victorious for the second time this season.

Hungry for revenge, after falling in double overtime just two weeks prior, the Blue Hens tallied a one-point lead at intermission, 27-26. The single-point difference in part came at the free throw line. Delaware was a perfect 7-of-7 from the line, while Drexel connected on 6-of-7. Delle Donne (at right), the only player in double digits at the time, tallied 15. Fellow CAA standout, senior forward Gabriela Marginean, recorded nine in the first to lead the Dragons. Both played the entirety of the first frame, the second, and overtime.

Drexel jumped out to a commanding 14 point lead on a 17-2 run to tip-off the second frame, before the Hens slowly chipped their way back into contention. Delaware went on to earn a 21-6 run to go ahead by one at 1:01. The Dragons notched a three with just 32 seconds remaining but Delle Donne would knot the game at 52 and send it to an extra period.

The Hens got the first four points of the extra stint but the home squad came back to tie it with 2:40 lingering in overtime. Drexel gathered another bucket that was backed by a Delle Donne jumper to tie the game for the sixth time with merely 27 seconds left on the clock, but Drexel came away with the late victory on a Marisa Crane basket in the paint that the Hens were unable to reverse.

To start the game, Delaware jumped out to record six from Delle Donne and freshman guard Lauren Carra broken up only by a Marginean layup. Sophomore guard Kayla Miller extended the UD lead with a steal and a breakaway layup to give the Hens a 8-2 advantage at 17:14. Drexel then notched a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to pull within one before Delle Donne drained a jumper in Blue Hen territory.

Freshman forward Danielle Parker connected on two from the charity stripe but Marginean answered with a jumper from the left elbow and freshman guard/forward Hollie Mershon made good on a three-point play to tie the ball game, but Delle Donne was quick to put UD back in front.

The 6-5 All-American candidate and Naismith Player of the Year nominee collected four straight to put the Hens ahead, 16-12 at 7:36, but as the game would go, the Dragons hit a baseline three to again trail by just one.

A Crane three from the top of the key gave the Dragons their first lead which Delle Donne tied with a layup, but Marginean scored three to again put the Dragons ahead. Carra (at left) brought the game to a draw with three of her own but Drexel would take to the line to lead by two at 3:02.

On a Miller assist, junior guard Tesia Harris tallied one from beyond the arc. With Delaware now ahead by a point, the teams battled to keep and regain the lead as Mershon and Delle Donne swapped treys to end the half with Delaware ahead, 27-26.

Drexel jumped out to a solid lead as the Dragons opened with 14 from the tandem of Marginean and junior guard Jasmina Rosseel and a three from senior forward Jennifer Stjarnstrom. Delaware was only able to notch a Harris bucket at 16:13 to break up the Dragons’ run.

Delaware brought the game back within contention as the Hens outdid Drexel 16-3 over the next nine minutes. Junior forward Eva Riddick used a Delle Donne assist to surpass the 30-point mark with a layup at 12:17 before Delle Donne notched two buckets, her first points of the second stint, to cut the Hens’ deficit to eight.

Rosseel gathered her third three to snap Delaware’s six straight before Carra, Bailey and Delle Donne combined for seven to bring the game to 46-42. Rosseel’s bucket was the only thing that kept Drexel from 10 scoreless minutes of action.

Cutting Drexel’s advantage to one and extending Delaware’s domination to 10 unanswered, Carra drained a three from the top of the key before sophomore forward Tyler Hale collected a three-point play to restore the Dragons’ lead back to four.

Next time down the court Harris hit the front-end of a one-and-one and Delle Donne grabbed the rebound on the ensuing miss and went up for the put back. After also getting a rebound on the defensive end, Delle Donne put the Hens ahead, 50-49, at 1:01 thanks to a Bailey feed.

But in true rivalry fashion, Drexel came right back and Rosseel drained a downtown three to restore DU’s lead to 52-50 with 32 seconds left. Following a full UD timeout Delle Donne put up a jumper in the paint to tie the ball game and lead the game into overtime. Marginean had the chance at the finishing act, but was unsuccessful on a pair of shots under the basket and Delle Donne was able to grab the rebound and wait out the final buzzer.

Entering overtime, following a slew of Delaware misses and offensive rebounds, Harris was sent to the line to notch the first two points of the extra period. Again sent to the charity stripe to hit two, Harris extended the advantage to four before Marginean drove in for a layup. Drexel tied the game on a pair of Marginean free throws at 2:40.

Harris looked to go ahead on a jumper but was whistled for an offensive foul. Drexel then drove the length of the court and finished with a Hale layup from Crane to lead 58-56.

Delle Donne knotted the game at 58 with 27 seconds remaining and Drexel again would get the last chance at the win -- this time the Dragons were successful.

Crane, who scored just five points on the night, hit a jumper in the paint with 3 seconds on the clock for the win. Delle Donne inbounded the ball to Carra who got off a desperation three from half court that fell just short of the iron.

Delle Donne led all scorers with 31 and pulled in a game-high 11 boards, while Carra and Harris each tallied 10 points and seven rebounds for the Blue Hens. Parker was strong off the glass as she grabbed eight rebounds to help Delaware outrebound Drexel, 48-33.

Marginean finished with a team-high 20 and Rosseel recorded 16. Marginean and Hale each had six rebounds.

Delaware will next return home to take on William & Mary on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in Newark at the Bob Carpenter Center.

AGATE:

Delaware........27.....25.....6........58
Drexel............26.....26.....8........60

Delaware (13-7, 5-4 CAA): Delle Donne 13-27 4-4 31, Parker 0-3 2-2 2, Carra 3-13 3-3 10, Bailey 0-3 1-2 1, Miller 1-3 0-0 2, May 0-0 0-0 0, Riddick 1-2 0-1 2, Harris 2-6 5-6 10. Totals: 20-57 15-18 58.

Drexel (14-6, 8-1 CAA): Nacickaite 1-9 0-0 3, Marginean 6-18 7-8 20, Hale 2-8 1-1 5, Rosseel 6-14 0-0 16, Crane 2-5 0-0 5, Mershon 2-5 3-3 8, Stjarnstrom 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 20-60 11-12 60.

Halftime: Delaware 27, Drexel 26; Three-Point Field Goals: DEL 3-16 (Delle Donne, Carra, Harris, 3), DREX 9-29 (Rosseel, 4); Rebounds: DEL - 48 (Delle Donne, 11), DREX - 33 (Marginean, Hale, 6); Assists: DEL - 8 (Miller, 3), DREX - 11 (Crane, 7); Fouled Out: None; Fouls: DEL - 17, DREX - 18; Attendance: 2,532.