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Drexel women returning to memorable place
Drexel women returning to memorable place
Drexel, the defending women's basketball champion in the Colonial Athletic Association, could be heading for a third battle with Delaware tomorrow in a quarterfinal of the conference tournament at the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
Contact staff writer Mel Greenberg at 215-854-5725 or mgreenberg@phillynews.com. Read his blog at go.philly.com/womhoops.
That's the place the Dragons made history last season, ousting the perennial champion, Old Dominion, in the semifinals. They then beat the host, James Madison, for the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
This year, Drexel (17-12) has its spot locked up for tomorrow with a bye despite dropping its last four games. The fourth-seeded Dragons finished in a three-way tie for fourth with the Blue Hens (19-10) and Hofstra.
"We had a week off, which was good, and having another day before we play is also helpful," Drexel coach Denise Dillon said last night.
Delaware, the fifth seed, must beat 12th-seeded George Mason (10-19) this afternoon to advance.
However, the Blue Hens, who lost twice to the Dragons in the regular season, picked up a victory in the rivalry last night off the court.
Freshman Elena Delle Donne, who dominated the conference statistics, unseated Drexel senior Gabriela Marginean for the conference's player of the year honor.
She also easily won the rookie of the year award in the voting, by conference coaches, sports information directors, and members of the media who cover the league.
Old Dominion's Wendy Larry, whose Monarchs finished first in the regular season, was named coach of the year.
Delle Donne is second in the nation in scoring with 26.9 points per game, trailing only Middle Tennessee's Alysha Clark and her 28.7-point average.
James Madison's Dawn Evans, who is averaging 25.5 points and also was in the player of the year picture, is tied for third with Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley.
Delle Donne also made the all-defensive team.
Marginean, the all-time leading women's scorer in Philadelphia with 2,519 points, won the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award. She also made the all-conference first team.
Hofstra freshman Shante Evans, a graduate of West Chester Henderson, made the second team.
Contact staff writer Mel Greenberg at 215-854-5725 or mgreenberg@phillynews.com. Read his blog at go.philly.com/womhoops.
