Drexel gets impressive 84-57 win over William and Mary

Drexel led from start to finish in a convincing 84-57 win over William and Mary on Homecoming at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Zach Walton and Camren Wynter combined for 43 points as the Dragons (12-8, 5-2 Colonial Athletic Association) handed the Tribe (14-6, 6-1) their first CAA loss of the season.

Drexel played a solid first half and took a 10-point lead at the half. While the Dragons were efficient on the offensive end, shooting 48% in the half, the real story was on the defensive end. William and Mary, which had its six-game winning streak snapped, was held to a season-low 24 first-half points and managed to shoot just 35% from the floor. The Dragons’ defense held the Tribe without a point for a five-minute stretch that finally ended when Nathan Knight scored at the buzzer to make it a 34-24 Drexel lead at the half.

Walton and James Butler scored 18 of Drexel’s 34 points in the half. They picked up the slack as Wynter, the team’s leading scorer, picked up two fouls and played just 11 minutes in the opening half.

The Tribe came out aggressively in the second half and fed the ball into Knight repeatedly. The senior scored the first 10 points of the half for William and Mary, but the Tribe didn’t have an answer for Drexel’s balanced offense. The Dragons shot 62% and scored a season-high 50 points over the final 20 minutes in what was their best performance of the season. The Tribe got to within nine with just over eight minutes to play and appeared to be ready to mount a comeback. However, Coletrane Washington started a 9-0 run with a deep three-pointer as Drexel picked up its ninth home win in 11 games this season.

The Dragons shot 55% from the field for the game, the fifth time they eclipsed the 50% mark this season.

Walton had one of his best games of the season. He was 5-for-7 from long range and finished with a team-high 23 points. Wynter scored 20 points, handed out seven assists, and did not commit a turnover.

Drexel committed just nine turnovers overall, which tied a season low. Butler added 17 points and 12 rebounds as he picked up his 13th double-double of the season. He finished 6-for-7 from the floor.

Defensively, Drexel limited William & Mary to 37.3% shooting, including 5-of-22 from deep. It was the third straight game that the Drexel defense held its opponent to under 38 percent shooting.

Nathan Knight paced the Tribe with 28 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks.