Drexel relying on its offensive and defensive discipline ahead of NCAA Tournament matchup with Georgia | basketball preview

Drexel hasn’t seen a team like Georgia.

But emphasis on the word “team.” Coach Amy Mallon has found ways to discover common traits between the Lady Bulldogs and other opponents.

“We’re definitely going to see bits of players that we’ve already seen,” Mallon said. “Maybe not with the same size, but I think, overall, you have to add up a couple teams to get that overall feel for what Georgia does.”

The Dragons and Lady Bulldogs will play in the Alamo Region on Monday at noon at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. Georgia (20-6) is seeded third and Drexel (14-8) is No. 14. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

The Lady Bulldogs also haven’t seen a team like Drexel.

Drexel’s defense is its identity, but the Dragons attack in different ways. They can trap and pressure teams full court, or they can switch to a zone and cause disruption in the passing lanes.

Because of Georgia’s size, the zone could be more effective. Jenna Staiti, at 6-foot-4, is one of the SEC’s best frontcourt players, and the zone could bring her away from the basket more often.

“It’s definitely going to be important that our zone is on point,” senior Hannah Nihill said. “That’s something that we’ve been working on all year. In the [Colonial Athletic Association] championship game, it felt like the best it’s been all year.”

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In the SEC, the Lady Bulldogs face a lot of players who are comfortable scoring off the dribble in isolations. That isn’t what Drexel wants to do. The Dragons will have a lot of movement, so Georgia’s defensive discipline will be tested.

“We obviously have a certain discipline of what we do with the way we set up people to get shots and we have direction and redirection in some of our plays,” Mallon said. “That might be a little different than what they’re seeing day in, day out in the SEC.”

Nihill gets things going on both offense and defense, but when Drexel is at its best, Keishana Washington is making plays. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, she is playing like one of the top players in the CAA.

Washington made the CAA All-Rookie team as a freshman and was the CAA Sixth Player of the Year as a sophomore. She’s playing her best basketball after an up-and-down junior season. She earned the CAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award after scoring 35 and 30 points in the final two games.

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“We all know what she’s capable of doing,” Nihill said. “It’s just kind of her finding that mentality that nobody can stop her.”

Mallon calls Washington and Nihill the dynamic duo, but they’ll need players like Mariah Leonard, Kayla Bacon, and Kate Connolly. Six-foot-two Hetta Saatman will be called upon to hold her own in the paint.

Georgia is more than just Staiti. Guard Gabby Connally averaged 11.9 points and is one of the best shooters in the SEC. Que Morrison scored in double figures in her last 11 games, boosting her average to 11.8 points to go with earning co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Maya Caldwell averages only 8.6 points, but don’t be fooled. She moved to power forward in the final regular-season game and has scored 27, 20, and 19 points in that four-game stretch.

All of the aforementioned players for Georgia are seniors.

Drexel is a bit younger, including its head coach. Mallon, in her first season as head coach, was an assistant when Drexel defeated Florida and Auburn in the 2013 NIT, so she knows what the Dragons are capable of doing. But right now, she’s enjoying the success story of a team losing one of its most productive senior classes in program history and still getting to the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m just so grateful for my team letting me coach them and being coachable throughout the year,” Mallon said. “It was a different schedule, but they always stayed tuned in and did what I asked of them.”