Drexel hits shot with 2 seconds left to give VCU first season conference loss By Mitchell Moore VCU Athletics Communications Assistant

For the second game in a row, VCU learned its fate in the final seconds of regulation. On Sunday, however, luck was not on the Rams’ side as Drexel senior Gabriela Marginean hit a jumper with two seconds left and VCU dropped a 55-53 decision to the Dragons at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

With the loss, VCU slips to 13-6 overall and 6-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association, while Drexel improves to 12-6 and a first place tie with the Rams in conference play.

Senior forward D’Andra Moss, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer for the Rams in the final second Thursday against Delaware, registered her fourth double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore forward Courtney Hurt contributed 12 points and seven boards, and senior guard Kita Waller added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals for VCU.
Sophomore forward Kamile Nacickaite paced Drexel with a game-high 16 points. Marginean, who scored 8 of the final 13 points for the Dragons, registered 15 and junior guard Jasmina Rosseel chipped in 11.

Drexel jumped out to a 7-2 lead at the 15:35 mark in the first half. VCU pulled within one twice over the next six minutes on a pair of 3-pointers by sophomore guard Jennifer Lane and junior guard Ebony Patterson, and got within 13-12 after a layup by Hurt with 7:17 remaining.

VCU forced turnovers on three of four Drexel possessions and scored seven of nine points to take their first lead of the game at 17-15 on a fast break layup by Waller with 4:15 to go in the half. The black and gold forced another Drexel turnover on the following possession and went up 19-15 on a put-back by junior guard Jessica Taylor.

The Rams, who shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the first half, maintained their lead the remainder of the period and took a 21-17 advantage into the locker room.

VCU went cold to start the second half, hitting just three of its first 13 from the field, and Drexel used a 21-8 spurt to build a 38-29 lead eight minutes in.

The Rams forced a Drexel turnover and scored nine of the next 11 points to pull within 40-38 on a layup by Waller with 8:48 remaining and took their first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer by Moss 30 seconds later.

Drexel went up by as many as 51-47 over the next five minutes before the Rams tied the game at 51 on a fast break layup by Waller with 2:28 showing.

Marginean answered with a pair of free throws to put the Dragons back in front before Lane tied the game for the fifth time on a layup with 1:11 to go.

Moss missed a 3-pointer on the Rams next possession, which gave Drexel the ball for the final shot.

The Rams, who held a 37-27 margin on the boards, had 18 offensive rebounds, while Drexel managed just four the entire game.
VCU returns to action Thursday, Jan. 28 with a 7 p.m. tip against UNC Wilmington at the Verizon Wireless Arena.