Drexel gets revenge against College of Charleston, advances to CAA semifinals for the first time since 2012

A familiar sighting was in play.

Drexel shot lights-out in the first half and had the College of Charleston down by 12 points. The Dragons led in the first two meetings in January, so as promising as the scoreboard looked, they knew what the Cougars were capable of doing.

This time, Drexel’s shooting didn’t cool off. The Dragons shot 61% from three and defeated the Cougars, 80-75, in the CAA quarterfinals at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va., on the campus of James Madison University.

It’s the first time the Dragons have advanced to the CAA semifinals since 2012.

“Experiences make you learn and grow,” head coach Zach Spiker said. “Today, I thought we reacted in a veteran, more poised way as players. I credit our guys for recognizing a couple things and sticking with it.”

No Dragon was as hot as Zach Walton. He shot 5-of-6 from three and led Drexel (10-7, 4-5 CAA) with 17 points. Camren Wynter added 16 points and T.J. Bickerstaff scored 14 points. The Dragons shot 55% from the field, including 11-for-18 on threes. The 11 threes were a team record in the CAA tournament.

Walton saved his best shot for last with 2 minutes, 3 seconds left in the game. Walton was guarded by All-CAA defender Zep Jasper when he drilled a contested left-wing three with 1 second left on the shot clock and extended the lead to eight.

The game was played at a neutral site, but the Dragons weren’t unfamiliar with the arena. It was their third game this season at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

“We kind of joked about it, but kind of serious at the same time,” Walton said. “We played more games here than we played at home due to COVID and our games getting cancelled, so we were a little more familiar with this gym than Charleston, I guess.”

Turnovers and bench scoring had been two of Drexel’s biggest question marks. The Dragons had the fourth most turnovers per game in the CAA and no player who played more than half their games off the bench averaged more than 3.8 points. They finished Sunday night with just six turnovers and 19 bench points.

The most encouraging stretch from a bench player came from freshman Lamar Oden. Charleston (9-10, 6-4) had gotten within six with less than 12 minutes left in the second half. Oden knocked down a three and a tough turnaround jumper to extend the lead back to 11.

“We can be a really great team when everyone is clicking on all cylinders,” Walton said.

“Lamar is a confident player,” Walton added. “Hit or miss, he’s going to keep shooting.”

The Dragons will play Monday night at 9:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) against second-seeded Northeastern, who is led by first-team All-CAA guard Tyson Walker. Top-seeded James Madison was upset on its own court by Elon, 72-71, so Northeastern is the highest seed remaining.

Elon (9-8, 4-7) will take on Hofstra (13-9, 8-6), which beat Delaware, 83-75, in the other semifinal matchup, at 6 p.m., also on CBSSN.

Drexel and Northeastern didn’t play in the regular season. The Huskies defeated William and Mary, 63-47, in the CAA quarterfinals.

“We’re not going to sit back and feel comfortable,” Spiker said. “Everyone has the same goal right now; win and move on.”