William and Mary hands Drexel a CAA loss

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Drexel entered its Colonial Athletic Association game against William and Mary holding a pair of impressive NCAA statistics.

The Dragons led the nation in three-point field-goal defense (24.3 percent) and were third in rebounding margin (12.4). In addition, Drexel was allowing only 59 points, tops in the CAA.

But the visitors from Philadelphia were unable to back up any of those numbers Saturday night, and it cost them in an 80-66 loss before a crowd of 2,821 at Kaplan Arena.

In snapping a seven-game losing streak, the Tribe (5-12, 1-5 CAA) made 7 of 14 from behind the arc and outrebounded the Dragons, 31-25. It was only the second time this season Drexel was beaten on the glass.

"You've got to give William and Mary credit," said Drexel coach Bruiser Flint. "They took it to us. They beat us on the boards. They ran by us. They did whatever they needed to do to win the game.

"They played like a team that really wanted to win, and they got it."

The Dragons (11-5, 3-3) led only once - late in the first half - but it was still a five-point margin at 41-36 with 131/2 minutes left. A 7-0 run by William and Mary over the next 1 minute, 12 seconds put the home team in command.

After falling behind by 48-36 with 12 minutes to go, the Dragons got no closer than eight the rest of the way.

The Dragons fell into a 9-0 hole at the outset, missing their first five shots from the floor. They also lost point guard Frantz Massenat for most of the opening half when he picked up his second personal at 13:03.

Drexel pecked away at the early deficit, however, until a hook shot by Daryl McCoy tied it at 22 with 4:10 left in the half. The Dragons took their only lead, 27-26, on a driving layup by Chris Fouch at 1:22.

But the Tribe regained the advantage on a three-pointer by Quinn McDowell, who had 23 points and was 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. A desperation trey by Gerald Colds at the buzzer brought Drexel within 31-30 at the break.

Colds, not normally known for his three-point shooting, was 7 of 9 from long range and finished with 22 points.

"We were just a step slow today on defense," Colds said. "Not fighting through screens. We weren't physical enough, so they got a lot of easy shots."

Fouch came off the bench to add 13 points for Drexel, while forward Samme Givens had 11.

"We've never played good down here," Flint said. "Ever. Even the games we've won came down to the last second. This is not a good trip for us. I don't even know if we were ever in the game, to be honest with you."

W&M has beaten the Dragons four straight and six of the past seven. The Tribe, which hit 13 of 17 shots (76 percent) from the floor in the second half, also owns five in a row over Drexel in Williamsburg.