Drexel men come up short to UNCW in double overtime thriller
The Drexel Dragons suffered the agony of a double-overtime loss to conference foe UNC Wilmington.
Despite a career-high 25 points from Yame Butler and a final shot at the buzzer, Drexel came up just short to Colonial Athletic Association foe UNC Wilmington in double overtime, 72-71, Thursday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
A five-second violation gave the Dragons (15-13, 9-7 CAA) the go-ahead opportunity with four seconds remaining after a frenzied finish, but Luke House’s three-point attempt wouldn’t go. The final two minutes of the second overtime saw UNCW (21-7, 11-4) hold two four-point leads before Drexel pulled even at the 44-second mark. Trailing, 70-69, with 14 seconds left, the Dragons turned it over and were forced to foul seven seconds later.
Drexel never led in the first overtime, closing the gap to push the Seahawks to another five minutes.
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Neither team could buy a basket at the end of regulation. UNCW got a tying layup at the 2:28 mark to make it a 49-49 game, which would hold true after a combined four misses and two turnovers in the last minutes of action.
Butler, who also posted a career-high nine rebounds, had 13 of his career night in points during the overtime periods. Amari Williams added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Coletrane Washington scored 13 points.
UNCW was paced by Trazarien White’s game highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Drexel returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Hampton (6-22, 3-12) for a 4 p.m. tip.