Delaware ends Drexel men’s basketball season in CAA tourney, 66-56

The Drexel men’s basketball season ended Sunday as the Dragons fell to Delaware, 66-56, in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington.

Although the Dragons had recently overcome seemingly insurmountable second-half deficits––in the regular season, they couldn’t make up an 11-point halftime deficit when it mattered most in the single-elimination tournament.

“Obviously a disappointing result today,” said Drexel coach Zach Spiker. “The CAA is so competitive, if you don’t put together a couple of halves, you are not going to find yourself in the best situation.”

Every Drexel player not named Camren Wynter –– who had 28 points ––struggled offensively. The Dragons missed their first 11 three-point attempts and shot just 38% from the field. In the second half, the Dragons nearly clawed their way back, cutting the Delaware advantage to three points a number of times, but came up just short.

Jyare Davis led Delaware with 17 points. Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 11 points for the Blue Hens.

Drexel struggled to make shots early, shooting 1-for-10 from the field and missing its first six three-pointers.

The Dragons didn’t score for more than six minutes, but Delaware wasn’t taking advantage of the lapse. The Blue Hens missed their first five three-pointers, but still led 8-4 at the under-12 timeout.

James Butler stopped Drexel’s drought with a midrange jumper with 10:29 remaining in the first half. The offense –– that is, the interior offense –– seemed to be settling in after that, scoring on three straight possessions. Not so fast.

Another drought returned, this time lasting four minutes. The Dragons still couldn’t hit a three, now 0-for-11 from deep.

The teams combined to shoot 1-for-18 from three in the opening 20 minutes, and Delaware led 27-16 at the half.

“Credit our defense to only be 27-16, it could have been 35 or way worse,” Spiker said.

The tempo began to pick up early in the second half after a rocky offensive performance from both teams in the first half.

Xavier Bell made the first Drexel three-pointer with 17:29 to play in the game.

Both teams were scoring at a frantic pace. A 3-minute, 42-second, 10-0 Drexel run, cut the 11-point halftime deficit to just five.

Over the next five minutes, each time Drexel would score, Delaware had an answer. The Dragons would inch closer, then the Blue Hens would respond.

Amari Williams, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, spent most of the game on the bench. He picked up two fouls early in the second half and his fourth foul with 9:34 to play. Drexel’s top rebounder and interior defender totaled only 15 minutes in the game.

“Amari impacts the game at such a level,” Spiker said. “He hasn’t been in a [two offensive foul] situation much. We are certainly a better defensive team when he is on the floor.”

Drexel is 15-14. Looking forward to next season, the Dragons will look very different. Only Williams and Bell of the starting five will be returning. Starters Coletrane Washington, Wynter, and Melik Martin, and backup center Butler, all played their last game as Dragons.

The fifth-seeded Blue Hens (20-12) advance to a semifinal game against top-seeded Towson on Monday.