Clutch shooting from Keishana Washington and Kylie Lavelle drive Drexel past Lehigh, 84-61

Propelled by a dominant first half, Drexel took home an 84-61 win over Lehigh on Tuesday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Graduate guard Keishana Washington led the way for Drexel (3-1) with her first career double-double, posting 33 points and 10 assists. Entering the game, Washington was tied for third in the country at 29 points per game.

Joining Washington in double figures were freshman Kylie Lavelle (20 points), fifth-year senior Maura Hendrixson (12 points), and senior Hetta Saatman (11 points). Hendrixson also added eight assists and seven rebounds, tying Saatman for the team high.

Mackenzie Kramer led Lehigh (2-3) with 20 points, followed by Lily Fandre, who scored 13. Frannie Hottinger grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Mountain Hawks.

Drexel started the game off hot, jumping out to a 14-4 lead, and Washington’s 11 points had the Dragons ahead, 22-15, by the end of the first quarter. The Dragons then used a huge second quarter led by hot shooting to separate themselves from Lehigh and take control of the game.

The Mountain Hawks fought back in the second half, closing the third quarter on an 18-2 run, but Drexel responded and didn’t allow Lehigh to get within striking distance.

Lehigh shot 34.5% from the field, including 35.5% from three, while the Dragons made 51.6% of their field-goal attempts and 52.9% of their shots from deep. The Dragons also had a terrific job sharing the ball, finishing the night with 24 assists.

“Twenty-four assists to 33 shots, that’s impressive,” said Drexel head coach Amy Mallon. “That’s team basketball, and that’s really what our program’s about, and I think you definitely saw that tonight against a very good team in Lehigh.”

Leading by seven after the first quarter, the Dragons erupted the second frame, outscoring the Mountain Hawks, 29-13, to take a 23-point lead into halftime.

A trio of three-pointers from Hendrixson highlighted the run, and Washington got in on the action as well, dropping a pair beyond the arc during the stretch. Lavelle scored 10 points in the quarter, going 4-for-4 from the field and making her only three-point attempt.

During the second quarter, the Dragons went 11-for-16 (68.8%) from the field, including 6-for-7 (85.7%) from deep.

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The Dragons face Buffalo (1-2) on Sunday on the road (noon, NBC Sports Philadelphia/FloSports).