PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – Top-seeded Drexel surged to an early lead and UNCW was unable to recover as the Dragons eliminated the Seahawks from the Colonial Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship with a 71-41 verdict in a quarterfinal matchup at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Dragons, who won their seventh consecutive game, upped their record to 25-6 while advancing to the semifinals against the winner of the Delaware/Northeastern game. UNCW, meanwhile, sees its season come to a close with a 12-19 mark.    
 
Sophomore guard Lacey Suggs paced the Seahawks after scoring 14 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, to go with four assists and two rebounds.
 
Freshman forward Paige Powell added a season-high 10 points after knocking 5-of-7 shots from the floor with two rebounds and two assists. Sophomore guard Timber Tate chipped in six points on 2-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
 
Senior forward Kelsi Lidge led a trio of Drexel players in double figures by scoring a game-high 18 points, including 13 in the first half. The Second-Team All-CAA selection converted 7-of-13 field goal attempts and also grabbed six rebounds.
 
Senior forward Sara Woods and freshman guard Hannah Nihill each tallied 11 points for Drexel, which shot 43.1 percent from the field.
 
Key Moment: Drexel sprinted out to a 16-1 advantage in the game's first eight minutes and never looked back en route to the victory. The Dragons limited UNCW to just 1-for-13 shooting from the field in the first quarter and led by a 31-20 margin at the half before pulling away.

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