No. 5 Drexel moves onto CAA quarterfinals following second round win against Northeastern
Eli Beard led the Dragons with 21 points. Next up for Drexel is Monmouth in Sunday's CAA quarterfinal, a team it split the regular season series with.
On to the next one.
On Saturday, No. 5 Drexel defeated No. 13 Northeastern 84-77 in the second round of the Coastal Athletic Association tournament at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C.
Behind a stellar first-half shooting performance, Drexel (17-15, 10-8 CAA) led by as much as 22 points. Northeastern (7-24, 2-16 CAA) made it interesting down the stretch, cutting the game to single-digits, but the Dragons were ultimately able to hold on as free throws sealed it. With the win, Drexel will move on to face No. 4 Monmouth on Sunday (2:30 p.m., FloSports).
Here’s what we saw:
Leading the box score
The Dragons were led by Eli Beard’s 21 points. The 5-foot-11 senior point guard also came down with a team-high seven rebounds. Victor Panov, the Dragons’ senior forward, added 16 points.
Shane Blakeney, Drexel’s leading scorer on the season, struggled. The junior guard notched six points, shooting 30% from the field.
Meanwhile, Northeastern (7-24, 2-16 CAA) was led by Mike Loughnane, as the junior guard scored 22 of his game-high 29 points in the second half. Loughnane was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line and missed just two attempts from the field.
Drexel outlasts late Huskies surge
The Dragons shot out to an early 13-4 lead before beginning to pour it on from long range.
In the first half, Drexel shot a combined 8 of 12 on three-pointer attempts compared to the Huskies’ 2 of 9 from deep. Panov led the effort, converting all four of his catch-and-shoot opportunities from range. Drexel entered the locker room leading, 39-22.
Behind a suffocating press that disrupted Drexel’s rhythm, Northeastern was able to incrementally cut into Drexel’s lead in the second half. To make matters worse, the Dragons’ three-point luck dried up as they missed all five of their attempts in the second.
With just over four minutes to go, the Dragons led 61-55.
Ultimately though, Beard was able to play hero. As the Huskies repeatedly sent Drexel to the line, he converted 11 free throws in the final two and half minutes of the matchup to ice the game.
Scouting Monmouth
Drexel split their season series with Monmouth, winning on the road before falling to the Hawks at home. The difference between those two games?
The Hawks had senior guard Kavion McClain the second time around. The NCAA forced McClain to sit out for the majority of the season due to his former teammate at Abilene Christian being indicted in a point-shaving scandal.
Making his second appearance of the season against Drexel on Feb 12, the shifty 5-foot-10 guard finished with 20 points, six assists, and three steals. Since McClain made his return, the Hawks have gone 6-2. In those matchups, he has averaged a team-high 17.6 points.