PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For just the second time in program history, the Drexel University women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament.
The Dragons are the 14th seed in the Alamo Regional, and they will play third-seed Georgia in the first round on Monday afternoon. Due to COVID-19, the entire tourney will be played in Texas, mostly in San Antonio.
Drexel (14-8) earned an automatic bid into the tournament by winning the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, besting top-seed Delaware in the final, 63-52.
“I’m so proud of this team and the season we’ve had,” said Drexel head coach Amy Mallon. “We say when there’s a will, there’s a way, and I think with this group, that certainly was the case in the (CAA) Tournament, to be able to finish the way we did and get that championship.”
A big key to the Dragons’ success in the conference tournament was the play of junior guard Keishana Washington. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CAA Tournament after dropping 35 points on James Madison in the semifinals and 30 on Delaware in the title game.
“To me, you talk about you have to play your best and your best players step up when they need to, and she really did that,” Mallon said.
Related
The Dragons will match up with a talented Georgia team in the first round that is 20-6 and coming off a loss to South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game.
Mallon breaks down some keys for her team to have success against the Bulldogs.
“We absolutely have to control the tempo,” she said. “We have to make sure that we force them to guard us. They have a 6-foot-4 big who we have to force to come out and guard us outside, get her out of the paint.”
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two programs.
Drexel’s only other appearance in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2009. The Dragons lost to Kansas State in the first round.
Monday’s game is set to start at noon in San Antonio.