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Drexel rolls past Hofstra 60-39 to advance to CAA women’s semifinals

The Dragons leaned on their senior trio of Keishana Washington, Hannah Nihill and Tessa Brugler to advance to the CAA semifinals.

Keishana Washington, shown here during a Jan. 23 game, led Drexel with 21 points in their 60-39 victory over Hofstra in the CAA quarterfinals.
Keishana Washington, shown here during a Jan. 23 game, led Drexel with 21 points in their 60-39 victory over Hofstra in the CAA quarterfinals.Read moreMONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer
    by Ariel Simpson, For The Inquirer
    Published 

The top-seeded Drexel women’s basketball team kicked off the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with a decisive 60-39 victory over Hofstra on Friday in quarterfinal play at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

The winning formula was pretty simple: smart decision-making, defensive pressure, and a “three-headed Dragon” of seniors Keishana Washington, Hannah Nihill, and Tessa Brugler.

Washington led the Dragons (25-4, 16-2) with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Nihill added 11 and Brugler had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Hofstra (8-20, 4-14) was led by Jaylen Hines with 12 points.

Defensive pressure

Drexel has led the CAA in scoring defense for the past two seasons, and that dominance was on display Friday. The Dragons held Hofstra to 39 points on 36.2% shooting from the floor, including just 3-of-17 from three-point range.

“Whether it’s Tessa getting the blocks inside or Hannah and Maura getting a touch on the ball, we were coming up with those loose balls, and that was something we said in the beginning,” said Drexel’s Amy Mallon, who was named CAA Coach of the Year before the game. “You don’t play at this time of the year and don’t end up with those loose balls. That’s a non-negotiable, and I think we did a great job at setting the tone.”

Drexel had 20 points from turnovers to five for Hofstra, which committed 19 turnovers to the Dragons’ 11.

Washington sparks Drexel

Washington, who was named first-team all-CAA before the game, scored 12 first-half points to push the Dragons out to a 30-16 lead before the break.

“Whenever I can knock down shots early on, it gets the momentum going,” she said. “It gets me going and it gets my teammates going. I think overall it just lifts our energy.”

Next

Drexel, the tournament host, advances to the CAA semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday to play College of Charleston (18-12, 10-9), a 70-59 winner over Elon.