Drexel dominates Monmouth to advance to CAA conference quarterfinals

WASHINGTON D.C. — Led by a dominant defensive performance, No. 5 seed Drexel beat No. 13 Monmouth, 64-45, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association conference tournament at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.

The Dragons will face No. 4 seed UNC Wilmington on Sunday (2:30 p.m., FloHoops). The two teams met once in the regular season, with the Seahawks picking up a one-point win.

After scoring 100 points against Hampton on Friday, Monmouth started 0-for-13 from the field and took more than 10 minutes to score. Drexel opened the game on an 18-0 run and led by as many as 23 in the first half

“Defensively, I don’t think we could have defended any better to start the game,” said Drexel coach Zach Spiker. “When we needed buckets and when we needed stops, we got them today.”

Monmouth was more competitive in the second half, but Drexel maintained a double-digit lead throughout. Dragons forward Amari Williams finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, both of which were game-highs.

After missing the last six games due to a shoulder injury, CAA All-Rookie Team guard Justin Moore made his return against Monmouth. The Archbishop Wood product came off the bench and finished with seven points and a career-high eight assists.

Jakari Spence and Myles Foster each had a team-high 10 points to lead Monmouth.

UNC Wilmington is led by All-CAA Second Team member Trazarien White. The sophomore forward averages 13.9 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game.

The Seahawks don’t have anyone else averaging double figures, but five other players average at least seven points per game. Guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes is second on the team in scoring at 9.8 ppg.

» READ MORE: Here’s how Drexel’s Yame Butler seized his moment by making sure ‘every minute counts’

UNC Wilmington is elite defensively, giving up just 64 points per game, good for 32nd in the nation. On the offensive end, though, the Seahawks struggle, ranking 261st at 68.8 ppg., and they are averaging just 10.8 assists per game (336th in the nation).

When Drexel and UNC Wilmington played in the regular season at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, it took two overtimes for the Seahawks to pull out a 72-71 victory.

White finished the February 16th contest with a season-high-tying 26 points for UNC Wilmington, adding 12 rebounds. Drexel guard Yame Butler scored a then-career-high 25 points in 42 minutes.

No. 8 William & Mary beat No. 9 Elon in Saturday’s first game, setting up a matchup between the Tribe and top-seeded Hofstra on Sunday (noon, FloHoops).

The winner of that game will play the winner of Drexel-UNC Wilmington on Monday (6 p.m., CBS Sports Network).