Drexel can't contain Jenkins

The big question going into Monday night's Colonial Athletic Association game between Drexel and visiting Hofstra was: Would the Dragons be able to contain Pride guard Charles Jenkins, a Naismith Trophy candidate who was leading the league in scoring and drawing attention from NBA scouts?

With the help of Jenkins' own foul trouble, Drexel did manage to keep him from running wild. But the senior still managed to get his average (23 points) in a 75-69 Hofstra victory at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Hofstra had a 63-62 edge with less than two minutes left. And when a hard drive to the hoop for a layup by Jenkins was followed by a three-point play by teammate Mike Moore, the Pride were up by 68-62 with a minute remaining.

Both baskets came after Drexel turnovers.

"We threw the ball away twice and they score," said Drexel coach Bruiser Flint. "That was it. At the end of the game, when we needed to make a play, we didn't. We had our chances."

Hofstra, in its first season under former Boston College assistant Mo Cassara, is 8-5 overall and 2-0 in the CAA. Drexel, which lost at home for the first time after starting out 4-0, fell to 9-3 and 1-1.

For the Dragons, forward Samme Givens (25 points) and Dartaye Ruffin (16) reached career highs. Guard Chris Fouch (13) also was in double figures.

For Hofstra, forward David Imes had 20 points in support of Jenkins, who made 11 of 12 free throws on his way to 23 points.

The sturdy, 6-foot-3 Jenkins entered the contest seventh in the nation at 23.5 points per game. The CAA player of the year last season, Jenkins was shooting a deadly 60 percent from the floor, and an impressive 50 percent from three-point range.

With 2,049 career points - fifth all-time for a Hofstra player - Jenkins was tops among active Division I players.

"I didn't think we did a bad job on Jenkins, but we didn't do a good job on some of the other guys," said Flint. "But, at the end of the game, he can make a play for you."

Jenkins had 12 points at intermission, and Hofstra had a 34-27 lead.

Drexel guards Derrick Thomas and Frantz Massenat did a commendable job on Jenkins during the first 20 minutes as he shot only 3 for 8 from the floor. But it was Jenkins' three-pointer that opened Hofstra's lead to 29-22 with just over five minutes to go before the break.

Hofstra shot 13 for 26 from the floor during the first 20 minutes. Drexel was 11 for 37 against the Pride's zone defense.

After picking up three fouls in the first six minutes of the second half and heading to the bench with four, Jenkins didn't return until there was 9 minutes, 45 seconds left to play.

The score was knotted at 48. Jenkins didn't score his first second-half basket until he drove for a layup with 8:15 remaining to cut his team's deficit to 52-50.

After that, Jenkins was often taken out of the game when the Pride was on defense, and put back on the floor when his team had the ball.

Drexel's last lead was at 62-61 after a pair of free throws by Ruffin, who went 10 for 13 from the line. He also had a game-high nine rebounds as Drexel outdid Hofstra on the boards, 44-31.

"We're really pleased with the victory tonight," Cassara said. "Drexel is a terrific team, and I'm real proud of our guys' effort tonight."