Drexel Defeats Tribe, 54-38

02/21/08 9:45PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary women’s basketball team fell to Drexel, 54-38, on Thursday evening at Kaplan Arena.

Sophomore Kelly Heath led W&M (11-15, 5-9) with a team-high eight points, while sophomore Lauren Aadland finished with seven points and six rebounds. Junior Courtney Portell sank a pair of three-pointers and moved into second place on the College’s single-season list (61). The Woodbridge, Va., native needs just three more to break the school record established by Yolanda Settles during the 1993-94 season.

As a team, the Tribe totaled 10 steals and forced Drexel (15-10, 10-4) into 20 turnovers. Freshman Katherine DeHenzel registered four of the steals and now has nine in the last two contests.

Both teams struggled offensively early in the contest, as the Dragons led, 7-2, at the second media timeout. Although DU pushed the lead to 9-2 on a layin by Jasmina Rosseel at the 9:23 mark, W&M rallied back with five straight points to cut the margin to just two.

However, Drexel utilized a 15-2 run during a span of 6:37 to build a 24-9 advantage late in the stanza. The Dragons maintained the 15-point cushion and took a 26-11 lead into the locker room.

Junior Dani Kell led the Tribe at the half with four points and six boards.

The Green and Gold scored the initial two baskets of the second half, but Drexel countered with a 7-0 run to go ahead, 33-15, with 16:21 remaining.

While DU extended the margin to 22 points, 46-24, midway through the half, the Tribe rattled off a 9-2 run to narrow the gap to 15 with 7:18 to play. Portell came up big during the run with a pair of three-pointers. However, W&M was unable to get any closer the rest of the way.

The Tribe will return to action when it plays at UNC Wilmington on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Box Score