Drexel's Massenat makes timely contribution

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Drexel coach Bruiser Flint calls the final four minutes "point-guard time," where games can be won or lost on the play of a team's floor general.

Yesterday afternoon, that's when Drexel's Frantz Massenat stepped up to help lead the Dragons to a 72-58 win over Davidson at Belk Arena.

The 6-4 senior scored nine of his season-high 25 points during a closing 13-6 run for the Dragons (7-2), who saw a 14-point lead in the first-half dwindle to 59-52 with 2:47 remaining.

"That's what a good point guard is supposed to do . . . especially when you've got a lead," Flint said. "[Massenat] is a senior and been our point guard for 4 years, so it's almost expected that he's going to do these kind of things."

Chris Fouch added 17 points for Drexel, which shot 43.6 percent from the field (24 of 55) - including six of 12 on three-pointers - and outrebounded the Wildcats, 47-38.

Brian Sullivan scored 14 points, Tyler Kalinoski 13 and Jordan Barham 11 for 4-7 Davidson, which has now lost two straight.

But the Dragons, who have won their last four, were even stronger on the defensive end. They held the Wildcats - historically, one of the nation's better three-point shooting teams - to a season-low three of 22 on threes (13.6 percent).

For the game, Davidson shot 32.8 percent from the field (19 of 58), their second-worst performance this season, and 17 of 31 (54.8 percent) from the line.

"I thought we took good shots," Wildcats coach Bob McKillop said. "We were getting good looks . . . but you can't shoot like that and expect to beat a good basketball team.

"We still made it into a game, but we couldn't catch a break. Every time we'd get it down to six or seven, we couldn't get it down to a two-possession game."

Davidson's shooting problems began early - it went without a field goal for more than 11 minutes to open the first half, allowing Drexel to pull ahead by double-digits.

The Dragons' biggest lead of the first half came in the closing minute, with Kazembe Abif's three-point play with 58 seconds left put them ahead 37-23.

Still, the Wildcats - taking advantage of Drexel's foul problems - cut the lead to six points five times in the later stages of the second half, and were still within striking range in the final three minutes.

Then Massenat stepped up.

"Different guys are going to have to step up different nights, depending on how the other team guards us," Massenat said. "This was just my night."