Dragons are eliminated at the buzzer

RICHMOND, Va. - Forgive Drexel coach Bruiser Flint if he doesn't head to sunny Richmond for summer vacation this offseason.

"They're not exactly kind to me down here," Flint said Saturday after his fifth-seeded Dragons lost to fourth-seeded Virginia Commonwealth in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball tournament.

With a fired-up crowd bursting for hometown VCU and a second-half free-throw differential of 25-3, Richmond Coliseum was indeed a lion's den for Drexel. An emotionally wrenching 62-60 heartbreaker was the aftermath of the Dragons' annual trip south for the CAA tourney.

A spinning, turnaround layup by VCU's Jamie Skeen as time expired ended a valiant effort in which Drexel's Chris Fouch hit a pair of three-pointers in the final 30 seconds to erase a four-point deficit.

Yet again, Richmond was unwelcoming.

"We told the players that we knew how it was going to be down here," said Flint, whose team fell to 21-10. "It was unfortunate the outcome that came, especially with how hard we fought."

Drexel, which has only two reserves, ended the game with three disqualified players on the bench. Daryl McCoy fouled out with more than six minutes remaining after only 10 minutes of action and was joined soon after by Dartaye Ruffin and Samme Givens.

Flint was tagged with a technical foul with 4 minutes, 11 seconds left and Drexel trailing, 45-40.

VCU (22-10) went 25 for 36 from the free-throw line on 27 Drexel fouls, while the Dragons went 10 for 17 from the stripe on 19 VCU fouls.

"It's disappointing that in a conference playoff game, a team can shoot 25 foul shots to three in the second half," said Flint, whose 10-year career record in the CAA tournament is 4-10.

Flint was ejected from a Jan. 5 game against VCU at the Rams' home, the Siegel Center, just a mile from Richmond Coliseum.

A whistle-filled first half changed the complexion of the game before it even reached halftime. Both teams were in the double-bonus after 15 minutes and combined for 24 total fouls by the break. Eight players had two or more fouls by halftime.

The Dragons and Rams combined for only six points over the final 5:47 of the half and were tied at 23 at halftime.

VCU's Skeen, the hero, scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. The senior said afterward that he was surprised he wasn't double-teamed on the game-winner because "they would have known the ball was coming to me, but I'm glad they didn't."

Flint said a play was drawn up to try to deny a pass to Skeen.

Fouch led Drexel with 20, while Givens added 13.

Tournament tales. VCU will face top-seeded George Mason (26-5) at noon Sunday, after the Patriots beat Georgia State, 68-45, for their 16th straight win. . . . Second-seeded Old Dominion (25-6) earned a 59-50 win over Delaware (14-17). . . . Despite the loss, Drexel could be in line for an NIT bid.