Monmouth ousts Drexel from CAA Tournament with big second-half run
Junior guard Kevon Vanderhorst scored a team-high 15 points for Drexel, which was held scoreless for more than seven minutes in the second half.
For the fifth year in a row, Drexel will not be dancing.
No. 5 Drexel lost to No. 4 Monmouth, 65-57, in the quarterfinals of the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament on Sunday in Washington.
Drexel (17-16, 10-9 CAA) suffered through two long runs by Monmouth, including a 14-0 spurt that lasted more than seven minutes to give the Hawks a 54-48 lead with 4:44 remaining.
It’s unlikely the Dragons receive an invitation to a secondary postseason tournament.
Junior guard Kevon Vanderhorst led Drexel with 15 points. Junior guard Shane Blakeney, Drexel’s leading scorer this season, scored 11 points and had a team-high nine rebounds.
Vanderhorst and Blakeney struggled in the second half, sparking the Hawks’ late-game surge. The duo shot a combined 1 of 11 from the floor in the second half.
The Hawks were powered by junior wing Jason Rivera-Torres and freshman forward Stefanos Spartalis, who both scored 14. Monmouth blocked 10 shots and had 10 steals.
For the second game in a row, Drexel started hot from deep. The Dragons took a 22-14 lead in the first eight minutes thanks to hitting 5 of 6 from three-point range. Two of those threes were by Vanderhorst.
Starting at the 8:55 mark, Drexel hit a scoring drought that lasted just over six minutes. Monmouth ended the half on a 14-4 run to cut Drexel’s lead to 33-32 going into halftime.