2021–22 Drexel Dragons women's basketball team

The 2021–22 Drexel Dragons women's basketball team represented Drexel University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Dragons, led by second-year head coach Amy Mallon, played their home games at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Colonial Athletic Association.

2021–22 Drexel Dragons women's basketball
CAA regular season champions
WNIT, Third Round
ConferenceColonial Athletic Association
Record28–6 (16–2 CAA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Stacy Weiss (10th season)
  • Laura Kurz (2nd season)
  • Jillian Dunston (2nd season)
MVPKeishana Washington (1st year)
Home arenaDaskalakis Athletic Center
Seasons
2021–22 CAA women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Drexel 16 2   .889 28 6   .824
Delaware 15 3   .833 25 7   .781
Towson 14 4   .778 24 8   .750
James Madison* 10 8   .556 14 15   .483
Elon 9 9   .500 17 12   .586
Charleston 9 9   .500 18 13   .581
Northeastern 8 10   .444 14 18   .438
William & Mary 5 13   .278 10 20   .333
Hofstra 4 14   .222 8 20   .286
UNC Wilmington 0 18   .000 3 26   .103
*Ineligible for the CAA Tournament due to a postseason ban imposed by the CAA.
2022 CAA tournament winner

Previous season

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The Dragons finished the 2020–21 season 14–9, 8–6 in CAA play to finish tied for third place. They defeated Delaware in the CAA tournament championship, and earned an automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Notes
Kayla Bacon 4 G 5'8" Senior Owings Mills, MD Graduated
Elizabeth Dufrane 14 G 5'8" Freshman Falls Church, VA Transferred to University of Mary Washington

Incoming transfers

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Tessa Brugler
F
Nazareth, PA Bucknell University 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) N/A Apr 1, 2021 
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Drexel 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  • "Drexel Dragons". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.

2021 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Momo LaClair
G
Syracuse, NY Jamesville-DeWitt 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) N/A  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Sira Ba
F
Montreal, Canada Antoine-de-St-Exupéry 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

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In a poll of the league coaches, media relations directors, and media members at the CAA's media day, Drexel was picked to finish in first place in the CAA.[1] Hannah Nihill and Keishana Washington were named to the preseason All-CAA first team.[1]

Roster

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2021–22 Drexel Dragons women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Keishana Washington 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Sr Durham Elite Prep Pickering, Ontario
F 2 Hetta Saatman 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Jr Linden Hall Lancaster, PA
F 3 Tessa Brugler 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Sr Nazareth Area/Bucknell Nazareth, PA
F 5 Chloe Hodges 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So St Michael's Adelaide, Australia
F 10 Brianne Borcky 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr Garnet Valley HS Glen Mills, PA
G 11 Tori Hyduke 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) RS Jr Rumson-Fair Haven/George Washington Fair Haven, NJ
G 12 Hannah Nihill 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) Sr Cardinal O'Hara Drexel Hill, PA
G 13 Erin Sweeney 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So Archbishop John Carroll HS Havertown, PA
F 20 Kate Connolly 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Sr Souderton Area HS Harleysville, PA
F 21 Jasmine Valentine 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) So St. Vincent Pallotti HS Odenton, MD
G 22 Maura Hendrixson 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Sr Cardinal O'Hara HS (PA) Garnet Valley, PA
G 23 Momo LaClair 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Jamesville-DeWitt Syracuse, NY
F 24 Sira Ba 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr Antoine-de-St-Exupéry Montreal, Canada
F 30 Mariah Leonard 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) RS Sr Broad Run Ashburn, VA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 18, 2022

Schedule and results

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[2]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 5, 2021*
7:00 pm
Chestnut Hill W 61–25 
                  Daskalakis Athletic Center 
Philadelphia, PA
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2022*
5:00 pm
Marist L 50–52  0–1
 14  Nihill   14  Brugler   6  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (1,846)
Philadelphia, PA
November 12, 2021*
8:00 pm, NBCSPHI+
Saint Joseph's W 63–55  1–1
 19  Brugler   7  Tied   5  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (1,351)
Philadelphia, PA
November 17, 2021*
7:00 pm, NBCS+
La Salle W 71–65  2–1
 17  Brugler   11  Brugler   7  Washington  Daskalakis Athletic Center (611)
Philadelphia, PA
November 20, 2021*
2:00 pm
at Maryland Eastern Shore W 65–60  3–1
 16  Brugler   14  Leonard   7  Nihill  Hytche Athletic Center (200)
Princess Anne, MD
November 26, 2021*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
vs. Nebraska
The Dana on Mission Beach Semifinals
L 53–65  3–2
 19  Nihill   10  Brugler   4  Washington  Jenny Craig Pavilion (368)
San Diego, CA
November 27, 2021*
5:00 pm
vs. Fresno State
The Dana on Mission Beach 3rd place game
W 63–46  4–2
 15  Nihill   14  Brugler   7  Washington  Jenny Craig Pavilion (286)
San Diego, CA
November 30, 2021*
7:00 pm
Dartmouth W 67–44  5–2
 18  Washington   6  Nihill   4  3 Tied  Daskalakis Athletic Center (502)
Philadelphia, PA
December 4, 2021*
12:00 pm, ESPN3
at Maine W 57–33  6–2
 25  Washington   8  Brugler   4  Nihill  Cross Insurance Center (897)
Bangor, ME
December 11, 2021*
2:00 pm
Longwood W 79–57  7–2
 23  Nihill   16  Leonard   7  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (524)
Philadelphia, PA
December 14, 2021*
5:00 pm
Yale W 59–52  8–2
 25  Washington   12  Brugler   2  3 Tied  Daskalakis Athletic Center (1,155)
Philadelphia, PA
December 21, 2021*
1:00 pm
at Delaware State Postponed due to COVID-19 Memorial Hall 
Dover, DE
CAA regular season
January 7, 2022
7:00 pm
at Charleston W 61–60  9–2
(1–0)
 33  Washington   13  Brugler   7  Tied  TD Arena (203)
Charleston, SC
January 9, 2022
1:00 pm
at UNC Wilmington W 71–68 OT 10–2
(2–0)
 19  Washington   13  Leonard   5  Nihill  Trask Coliseum (418)
Wilmington, NC
January 14, 2022
7:00 pm
Northeastern W 63–50  11–2
(3–0)
 19  Brugler   10  Brugler   5  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (626)
Philadelphia, PA
January 16, 2022
2:00 pm
Hofstra W 72–53  12–2
(4–0)
 22  Washington   5  Leonard   7  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (519)
Philadelphia, PA
January 18, 2022
7:00 pm
Towson W 58–54  13–2
(5–0)
 17  Washington   12  Leonard   6  Hendrixson  Daskalakis Athletic Center (511)
Philadelphia, PA
January 23, 2022
2:00 pm, NBCSPHI
Delaware W 70–62  14–2
(6–0)
 22  Nihill   7  Tied   9  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (667)
Philadelphia, PA
January 28, 2022
7:00 pm
at Elon W 72–60  15–2
(7–0)
 21  Nihill   13  Brugler   5  Nihill  Schar Center (721)
Elon, NC
January 30, 2022
2:00 pm
at William & Mary W 75–67 2OT 16–2
(8–0)
 40  Washington   11  Leonard   4  Hendrixson  Kaplan Arena (256)
Williamsburg, VA
February 4, 2022
7:00 pm
UNC Wilmington W 72–39  17–2
(9–0)
 19  Nihill   4  Tied   4  Tied  Daskalakis Athletic Center (620)
Philadelphia, PA
February 6, 2022
1:00 pm
Charleston L 73–74  17–3
(9–1)
 28  Brugler   12  Brugler   5  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (522)
Philadelphia, PA
February 11, 2022
7:00 pm
No. RV at Hofstra W 63–47  18–3
(10–1)
 21  Washington   8  Tied   7  Nihill  Hofstra Arena (301)
Hempstead, NY
February 13, 2022
12:00 pm
No. RV at Northeastern W 61–46  19–3
(11–1)
 19  Washington   13  Valentine   6  Nihill  Cabot Center (209)
Boston, MA
February 16, 2022
5:00 pm
James Madison W 64–61  20–3
(12–1)
 18  Nihill   7  Brugler   7  Hendrixson  Daskalakis Athletic Center (498)
Philadelphia, PA
February 20, 2022
1:00 pm, NBCSPHI
at Delaware W 65–64  21–3
(13–1)
 32  Washington   9  Brugler   5  Nihill  Bob Carpenter Center (1,834)
Newark, DE
February 25, 2022
7:00 pm, NBCSPHI+
William & Mary W 63–43  22–3
(14–1)
 20  Washington   7  Brugler   8  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center (570)
Philadelphia, PA
February 27, 2022
2:00 pm
Elon W 72–57  23–3
(15–1)
 27  Washington   9  Brugler   7  Nihill  Daskalakis Athletic Center 
Philadelphia, PA
March 3, 2022
7:00 pm
at James Madison W 80–60  24–3
(16–1)
 23  Nihill   9  Brugler   7  Tied  Atlantic Union Bank Center (2,549)
Harrisonburg, VA
March 5, 2022
2:00 pm
at Towson L 61–69  24–4
(16–2)
 18  Nihill   9  Brugler   5  Nihill  SECU Arena (816)
Towson, MD
CAA Tournament
March 11, 2022
12:00 pm
(1) (8) Hofstra
Quarterfinal
W 60–39  25–4
 21  Washington   10  Brugler   6  Hendrixson  Daskalakis Athletic Center 
Philadelphia, PA
March 12, 2022
1:00 pm
(1) (5) Charleston
Semifinal
W 71–65  26–4
 25  Washington   16  Brugler   9  Hendrixson  Daskalakis Athletic Center 
Philadelphia, PA
March 13, 2022
1:00 pm
(1) (2) Delaware
Championship
L 59–63  26–5
 22  Washington   8  Brugler   5  Hendrixson  Daskalakis Athletic Center (1,812)
Philadelphia, PA
WNIT
March 17, 2022
6:00 pm
Norfolk State
First round
W 54–47  27–5
 16  Washington   13  Hendrixson   8  Hendrixson  Daskalakis Athletic Center (435)
Philadelphia, PA
March 21, 2022
6:00 pm
Bucknell
Second round
W 61–58  28–5
 18  Nihill   7  Tied   5  Hendrixson  Daskalakis Athletic Center (667)
Philadelphia, PA
March 24, 2022
7:00 pm
at Seton Hall
Third round
L 71–78  28–6
 20  Nihill   12  Brugler   4  Nihill  Walsh Gymnasium (593)
South Orange, NJ
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Awards

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Brianne Borcky
  • Steven Sher Academic Award
Tessa Brugler
  • CAA All-Conference Second Team
  • City of Basketball Love All–City 6 First Team
  • CAA Player of the Week
  • Rebounding Award (team leader in rebounds)
  • Mo Cronin Spirit & Leadership Award
Maura Hendrixson
  • Lil Haas Coaches Award
Mariah Leonard
  • Charge Leader Award (team leader in charges drawn)
Amy Mallon
  • CAA Coach of the Year
Hannah Nihill
  • CAA All-Conference Second Team
  • CAA All-Defensive Team
  • City of Basketball Love All–City 6 Second Team
  • Preseason CAA All-Conference First Team
  • Meghan Creighton Assist Award (team leader in assists)
  • Team Defensive Player of the Year
Hetta Saatman
  • Steven Sher Academic Award
Jasmine Valentine
  • Liz Berry Most Improved Award (team's most improved player)
Keishana Washington
  • CAA All-Conference First Team
  • City of Basketball Love All–City 6 First Team
  • CAA Player of the Week (4)
  • CAA All-Tournament Team
  • CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year
  • Preseason CAA All-Conference First Team
  • Team Most Valuable Player[3]
  • Steven Sher Academic Award

Rankings

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Regular Season Polls
Poll Pre-
Season
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
Week
9
Week
10
Week
11
Week
12
Week
13
Week
14
Week
15
Week
16
Week
17
Week
18
Final
AP RV N/A
Coaches RV RV RV RV RV RV
Legend
  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
RV   Received votes
NR   Not ranked
( )   Number of first place votes

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Women's Basketball Picked Atop the CAA In Conference Preseason Poll". drexeldragons.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "2021-22 Women's Basketball Schedule". drexeldragons.com. Drexel University. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Women's Basketball Announces End Of Season Team Awards" (Web). DrexelDragons.com. Philadelphia, PA. April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.