The Drexel University men’s basketball team, currently 13-16 overall and 7-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association conference, hosted the University of Delaware (16-13 overall, 8-8 CAA) Feb. 23. The Dragons came into the game looking to get revenge on the Blue Hens after losing 76-75 in a thrilling game on the road Jan. 26. Drexel would need contributions from their younger players in this one, as earlier in the week, senior guard Troy Harper suffered a season ending injury in practice. Harper was leading the Dragons in scoring this season with 15.8 points per game.
Fortunately, the Dragons had other plans this time around. They wasted no time in the first half, jumping out to a six-point lead before halftime with a score of 27-21. Sophomore James Butler and freshman Camren Wynter led the Dragons in scoring and played key roles in building the lead.
The Dragon faithful in the student section wasted no time trolling the University of Delaware. One fan had a sign that read “I got 99 problems and 34 points ain’t one” in reference to Drexel’s 34 point comeback victory against Delaware last season Feb. 22, 2018 which marked the biggest comeback in National Collegiate Athletic Association history.
In the second half of the game, there was an increase in offensive production from both sides. Junior Alihan Demir and Wynter led the Dragons in scoring with 12 points each in the second half. The Blue Hens were led by sophomore Ryan Allen who had 16 points, including three shots from downtown. Redshirt senior Eric Carter also contributed 12 points in the second half.
While Delaware put up a good fight in the second half, only being outscored by two points, the Dragons’ lead was too much to overcome as Drexel pulled out the victory by a score of 68-60. One of the big reasons for the victory was the Dragons’ dominance in the paint. Drexel out-rebounded Delaware 39-24.The Dragons hope that Wynter will keep up his impressive play and lead the them in the final two home games of the season. Wynter stuffed the stat sheet against Delaware, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Drexel hosted Hofstra University who currently sits in first place in the CAA standings with an impressive record of 23-6 overall and 13-3 in the conference. Hofstra is led by star senior Justin Wright-Foreman, who is averaging 26.6 points, four rebounds and three assists per game for the season. Wright-Foreman has been playing so well that scouts from around the league have been in attendance for his games.
The highlight of the game came from graduate student Trevor John who made his 98th three-pointer. This broke Dominick Mejia’s record from the 2005-06 season for the most made three-pointers in a season by a single player at 92. Unfortunately, the Dragons fell to Hofstra 80-77.
Drexel will now host Northeastern University March 2 at 4 p.m. If the College of William & Mary and Delaware both lose their remaining games, Drexel could move up to fourth place in the CAA standings before the conference tournament begins March 9.