There isn’t quite an atmosphere like opening night at the People’s United Center. From the moment the Bobcats came out for pre-game warmups, the team was clearly ready to begin the season.

Who could blame them? Coming off their fifth consecutive regular season MAAC title, the last two of which they went undefeated in conference play, who wouldn’t want to keep rolling?

The Bobcats were able to outpace the Dragons in the first half, as plenty of scoring possessions came off coast-to-coast drives. 

Meanwhile, the Dragons found success through aggressive offense between getting to the free throw line and playing in the paint. Four of their 13 points in the first quarter came from free throws, and the Dragons came down with five offensive rebounds.

The Dragons also nailed three of their first six treys, allowing them to build a four-point lead halfway through the second quarter.

There were two stories on the first half. The first was the Dragons’ bullying of the Bobcats in the paint, as Drexel reeled in 12 offensive rebounds, leading to an extra seven points on second chances.

“Couldn’t keep them off the offensive glass, just couldn’t be tough,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “Too many second chances that went their way and not our way.”

The other was Drexel senior forward Bailey Greenberg, who got to the charity stripe 21 times and finished the game with a career-high 31 points.

Greenberg is no stranger to big games after being named CAA Player of the Year last year. In the first half, she collected 13 points, racked up an astronomical 39.35% usage rate, and lofted in a buzzer-beating layup to send her team to the locker room with a 33-28 lead.

A bright spot for the Bobcats was Shaq Edwards, who snatched six steals throughout the game. Edwards displayed explosive speed and has become a true paint presence despite her 5’5″ frame, twisting past defenders and throwing in layups in a Kyrie Irving-esque fashion.

Fabbri expressed her confidence in Edwards and freshman center Mikala Morris, saying that the different styles of the players present the opportunity to create more open shots.

Taylor Herd had the opportunity to be the hero for the Bobcats with 20 seconds left in the game, but her three-pointer was just short and the ball fell to the Dragons. Greenberg was instantly fouled and hit both of her free throws to ice the game.

“I thought it was a good look for us and I thought we had opportunities after that,” Herd said. “I’m looking to hit the next one.”

The biggest killer for the Bobcats was their ball security. The Bobcats turned it over 16 times, allowing 15 points off turnovers as a result. The Bobcats also couldn’t keep the Dragons off the free throw line, and the 24 points the Dragons collected from the stripe was the biggest contributor to the 66-62 loss.

Fabbri remained optimistic after the game and acknowledged that this is a young team with plenty of room to grow.

“I like that we keep staying hungry and keep getting better, learning how to close out and get a win under our belt,” Fabbri said. “I think good things are gonna happen for this club. There were some basketball things that you could clean up to come away with a win. We’re gonna keep working hard to clean that up.”

The Bobcats play their next game at the Yale Bulldogs, a team the Bobcats have won their last two meetings against, on Nov. 13.