Drexel falls to George Mason, 60-54, in CAA tourney
RICHMOND, Va. - A furious Drexel comeback, like so many of its shots, fell just short. After trailing by 15 points near the midway point of the second half, Drexel cut the margin to two before losing to George Mason, 60-54, at the Richmond Coliseum in Saturday's quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
RICHMOND, Va. - A furious Drexel comeback, like so many of its shots, fell just short.
After trailing by 15 points near the midway point of the second half, Drexel cut the margin to two before losing to George Mason, 60-54, at the Richmond Coliseum in Saturday's quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
The Dragons, preseason CAA favorites, ended their season 13-18. George Mason (18-13) will meet top-seeded Northeastern in Sunday's 2 p.m. semifinal.
The game was like a microcosm of this season, one in which Drexel lost 10 games by six or fewer points.
"We haven't made a play all season when we needed it, that's the bottom line," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said.
With Drexel trailing, 56-54, Frantz Massenat shot an air ball on a three-point attempt with 19 seconds left.
"We ran a play, it broke down, and we set two ball screens and I missed the shot," Massenat said.
Massenat was successful penetrating in the second half and Flint would have preferred that option.
"I said you didn't have to shoot a three, drive for the basket, but he thought he was open for the three," Flint said.
Drexel trailed by just 28-27 early in the second half when George Mason went on a 13-0 run and seemingly broke the game open. But the Dragons, as they have all season, fought back.
"Once we got up by 15, we knew they were going to make a run on us and our mind-set was make it tough for them," said George Mason coach Paul Hewitt, a former Villanova assistant. "We wanted to keep them off the foul line as best as we could, contest shots, and rebound."
The difference Saturday was at the foul line. George Mason, which shot 71 percent from the foul line for the season, hit 20 of 22 free throws (90.9 percent), while Drexel was 13 of 16.
The Dragons also had trouble with George Mason's press, committing 17 turnovers.
Massenat scored 20 points for Drexel while Damion Lee added 11. Lee, who along with Massenat was a second-team all-CAA choice, hit just 2 of 10 from the field.
"I thought I had good looks and took good shots, but they just weren't falling," Lee said.
Other CAA games
Devon Saddler scored 22 points, and Jamelle Hagins recorded a double-double to lead Delaware to a 62-57 win over Hofstra (7-25). Hagins finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Blue Hens (19-13), who advance to the semifinals to face James Madison. Jarvis Threatt had 15 points, and Carl Baptiste pulled down 12 rebounds. Delaware led by as many as 10 in the second half, but Hofstra made the game close late. The Pride cut the deficit to three, 58-55, when Taran Buie made a three with 18 seconds remaining.
Guards A.J. Davis and Devon Moore had 20 points each, and No. 3 seed James Madison (18-14) got a 72-67 victory over No. 6 seed William & Mary (13-17).