Drexel defeats Binghamton 68-44

VESTAL, N.Y. - The Drexel University men's basketball team relaxed this time.

Drexel senior forward Samme Givens scored a team-high 15 points and hauled down six rebounds, and freshman guard Damion Lee scored 12 points as the Dragons defeated Binghamton, 68-44, in a nonconference game in the Events Center Thursday night.

The Dragons (6-4) grabbed a 14-point halftime lead and added to it in the second half as they took advantage of an inexperienced Bearcats team - one of nine Division I teams without a single senior on its roster - that is mired in the longest losing streak in the program's history, now 10 games.

Mark Macon, Temple's all-time leading scorer, is in his third season as coach of the Bearcats (0-10), his first full season since having the interim tag removed from his job title in February.

After watching a 17-point, second-half lead evaporate in its last game, a 73-68 win against Bradley, Drexel had no such trouble maintaining its grip on this contest.

"Tonight was pretty good," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. "I thought everybody kept their focus pretty much when they were in the game, and we guarded them. The second half we played them a little more full-court to sort of get them out of their rhythm."

The Dragons led by 22-12 after a dunk by Daryl McCoy in transition, but the Bearcats went on a 6-0 run to make it 22-18 with 5 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the first half.

With Drexel leading by 30-22 and 1:41 showing on the clock in the first half, Givens made a layup and a free throw, then Chris Fouch was fouled with 4.2 seconds left while shooting a three-pointer. Fouch made all three free throws for his only points of the game, giving the Dragons a 36-22 halftime advantage.

Binghamton scored just five points in the first nine minutes of the second half, while the Dragons' lead expanded to 27 after a pair of Givens free throws made it 54-27 with 11:40 remaining.

"Of course, it definitely rolled into your mind when you give up a big lead like that [against Bradley]," Givens said. ". . . Our job tonight was to come out focused, come out playing our game. Once we got a big lead, we knew that we had to keep pushing and keep going hard and not let up on the gas pedal."