PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Drexel University women’s basketball team has spent the early part of this week catching their collective breath after an unforgettable long weekend in Washington, D.C.
“You're almost exhausted, but you're so happy because you're just like, ‘This just happened,’” said Drexel head coach Amy Mallon.
“This” is Drexel’s run of four wins in four days at the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, which culminated with a 68-60 victory on Sunday over top seed Stony Brook to win the conference tournament title and earn the CAA’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Dragons will be the #16 seed in the Portland 4 Regional and visit #1 seed Texas down in Austin on Friday afternoon. That game tips at 3 p.m.
The 19-14 Drexel team spent much of the season in the middle of the pack in the Colonial Athletic Association. In fact, in the conference tournament they were the seventh seed out of 14 teams. Still, they picked a great time to play their best basketball. The Dragons beat Delaware, Monmouth, Towson and then Stony Brook to earn the third NCAA bid in program history. Their first three wins in that CAA tourney run were by a combined five points.
“This team just did something that's so hard to do at this time of the year,” Mallon said, “to win four games in a row and to beat such talented teams and do it the way we did. I can't be prouder as a coach to be able to accomplish this and then, obviously, have the opportunity to play in March Madness.”
Drexel actually won its three final regular season games coming into the CAA tourney, so they will be riding a seven-game overall winning streak into NCAA Tournament play.
Drexel hangs its hat on defense. The Dragons hold opponents to 57.7 points per game and 40% shooting from the field. Offensively, Drexel is led by junior guard and Cardinal O’Hara grad Amaris Baker (11.8 points per game) and grad student and Neshaminy High product Brooke Mullin (10.3 ppg).
The Dragons have a big challenge in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with Texas. The Longhorns are 30-4 and champions of the Big 12.
“First of all, it's the number one seed. So I always talk, you know, when you're playing the game of basketball, you always want to compete and you always want an opportunity to play the best. So this is exactly what we're getting,” she said about the matchup.
“We're going to play one of the best teams in women's basketball and we're going to be challenged, but that's why you do what you do. You have an opportunity to play against the best. We're gonna see a lot of pressure, a lot of full court pressure, a lot of defensive pressure and I think that's going to be something that we have to be able to handle.”
So it will be a heavy lift for the Dragons, but Mallon expects her team to answer the bell.
“The one thing I know about this team, they've never backed down from a challenge,” she said, “so I know they're going to fight and battle and I know we're excited to have this opportunity.”
Drexel’s last NCAA appearance came in 2021, Mallon’s first season as head coach. The Dragons gave Georgia a battle down in San Antonio, before falling, 67-53.