Drexel defeats Northeastern; headed to CAA championship for first time since 2012

Drexel’s offense paced the Colonial Athletic Association in most statistical categories. As well as the Dragons played in the regular season, their offense is peaking in tournament time.

Northeastern controlled the matchup early, but it was only a matter of time before Drexel’s offense got going. The Dragons went on a 14-2 run late in the first half and never trailed again.

The Dragons defeated Northeastern, 74-67, in the CAA semifinals at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va., on the campus of James Madison University. It will be Drexel’s first appearance in the CAA championship game since 2012 against VCU.

“This is a big win because we got to the championship game,” head coach Zach Spiker said. “It’s also a big win because of the team we beat. Northeastern has been to the championship game more than anybody in this league in the last couple of years. Bill Coen is a terrific coach. That’s a program that we emulate and look at for how we want to build our basketball program.”

No. 2-seed Northeastern (10-8) is led by two of the best young guards in the CAA. Sophomore Tyson Walker was a first-team All-CAA selection and freshman Jahmyl Telfort. The duo scored 53 points, but the rest of the team had 14 points on 5-for-17 shooting.

Meanwhile, Drexel’s offense was balanced. Zach Walton (15 points), Camren Wynter (14 points), James Butler (12 points), and Xavier Bell (11 points) all reached double figures.

“I think that’s the great thing about our team,” Wynter said. “We have a lot of guys that can make big plays and we don’t have to give one guy the ball. It makes us tough to guard.”

Drexel (11-7), which was seeded sixth, shot 52%, but a familiar issue allowed the Huskies to get within one after trailing by as many as 13. The Dragons had 16 turnovers. Northeastern shot 41%, but had only six turnovers.

Bell’s breakout was the biggest development. Spiker started the freshman guard for the fifth straight game. Before Monday, he scored in double digits one time all season and four points in the last two games. But against the Huskies, Bell made big shots and went 5-for-8 from the field.

“He’s a talented basketball player,” Spiker said. “I thought he finished with force, played with some confidence. He’s getting better with every bounce.”

The Huskies wouldn’t go away easy as Telfort got hot late in the second half. Drexel’s lead was cut to one with 6 minutes, 21 seconds left after Telfort made a three. A Telfort layup got Northeastern within two points with 4:51 left. Mate Okros and James Butler proceeded to knock down back-to-back threes to extend the lead to eight.

Butler’s three-pointer made him the 39th men’s player in Drexel history to eclipse 1,000 points. After going 1-for-2 on threes during the first 16 games of the season, he’s made all three of his threes in the CAA tournament.

“In practice, he shoots guard numbers,” Wynter said. “We’ve been letting him shoot the ball more, and he’s making a good point of why he should get more open looks.”

Drexel will play Elon (10-8) in the CAA championship at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night. Elon is the first eighth seed to reach the CAA title game. The Phoenix knocked off Towson, top-seeded James Madison, and Hofstra in the tournament as part of their seven-game winning streak. It will be their fourth game in four days.

Drexel and Elon didn’t meet in the regular season, but it will be a battle of contrasting styles. The Dragons’ hot offense will meet the CAA’s top scoring defense.

“We’re going to get back, recover, stay hydrated, drink a ton of water,” Spiker said. “Players get a lot of sleep, coaches get a little sleep, and be prepared for what I think is clearly the hottest team in our conference right now.”