Drexel Women's Hoops Off To Best Start Ever

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Drexel University women's basketball team opened the 2017 portion of their schedule on Monday doing something they were quite good at in 2016 - winning.

On Monday, Drexel beat Towson, 58-48 in their Colonial Athletic Association opener to extend their winning streak to seven games. The Dragons are off to the best twelve-game start in program history at 10-2 as they get ready for a critical CAA match-up with Elon on Friday night.

Drexel's season has already had several highlights. They opened the season with a blowout home win over Penn State and picked up a pair of wins over George Mason and UMass at a holiday tournament down in Florida. But the victory that has gained the most attention was a thrilling, 62-61 win over then #11 Syracuse at the DAC back on November 21st.

"Well, I think (that win) just helped them realize," Drexel head coach Denise Dillon tells KYW Newsradio, "when they come together, when they stick to the game plan, when they battle each possession, really come in with a defensive scheme, jokingly, you say make shots, but that's a crucial part of the game that relaxes them a little bit and gives them confidence. They did all of those things in the Syracuse game."

Listen to the entire interview with Drexel head coach Denise Dillon:

All this success has Drexel sitting at the top of the most recent ESPN Mid-Major Poll. Dillon talks about some of the players powering this success.

"We're always talking about our three seniors," she says. "(Guard) Meghan Creighton leading the way and (forward) Sarah Curran, returning first-team all conference player and (guard) Jess Pellechio. The three of them are on a mission and their teammates are following their lead. They're doing everything right as seniors, on and off the court. They have set the precedent for what needs to be done to be successful."

All three players are averaging double figures this season. Curran leads the way at 15.3 ppg, Pellechio adds 12.0 a night and Creighton chips in 11.2 points per game while shooting 53% from three and pacing the team in assists with 52. The Dragons team defense is impressive as they are holding opponents 56.7 points a night while forcing nearly 19 turnovers a night.

This game against Elon will be another test for this Drexel squad as the Phoenix are 9-4 (1-0 CAA) and riding a five-game winning streak.

"We know who we're going up against," Dillon says. "A team that was picked ahead of us (in the CAA preseason poll - Drexel was picked 3rd, Elon 2nd) so you have that perspective of, 'Hey, we have something to prove.' It's at our place, so you're always counting on the girls to be focused and ready to play, but we have our work cut out for us. They are a very talented team at each and every position."

Drexel and Elon get underway Friday night at 7:00pm.