Shorthanded Drexel falls to Northeastern in OT

DREXEL'S BASKETBALL season has seen more potholes than a Philadelphia street after a snowstorm. The one the Dragons hit Tuesday is enough to break an axle.

Sophomore guard Damion Lee, the Dragons' leading scorer at more than 18 points per game, missed Tuesday night's game against Northeastern with a bone bruise in his right knee. Without Lee and Chris Fouch, the team's spark plug off the bench who broke his ankle in November, the gritty Dragons fell in overtime, 63-58.

Northeastern's Quincy Ford added the insult to Drexel's injuries by hitting a desperation three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to force OT. The Huskies hit 12 of 13 free throws in the extra session to salt the game away.

"The kid hit a tough shot," Dragons coach Bruiser Flint said. "He made a double-pump three-pointer to tie the game up. We're asking a little too much to go another 5 minutes without our leading scorer, but we still gave ourselves a chance."

Frantz Massenat led the Dragons with 19 points. Freshman Tavon Allen, starting in place of Lee, added 15 and eight boards.

"I knew they were a little shorthanded tonight, but Frantz Massenat is a tremendous player," Huskies coach Bill Coen said. "He almost willed them to victory. He's about as good of a guard as there is in this league, and I thought we were very fortunate to get away with a win tonight."

Reggie Spencer had 17 points to lead the Huskies (8-7, 3-0 Colonial Athletic Association). Ford added 14.

Most of the game was like a heavyweight fight - except each boxer had one hand tied behind his back. Spencer's adventures at the line summed up the first half perfectly. Normally a 71 percent shooter, Spencer attempted five free throws and clanged them all. Walks, shot-clock violations and enough bricks to build Philadelphia's second casino littered the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Northeastern shot 38 percent from the field - and won. Drexel committed 19 turnovers in the first 40 minutes - and still got to overtime.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Drexel, but one that Flint came away from encouraged. The Dragons played tough defense, and Allen had arguably his best game of the season.

Lee, Drexel's sophomore forward, originally was injured in the Jan. 2 win over Georgia State, Flint said. He aggravated it 3 days later in a loss to Towson. His status for the Dragons' next game, Saturday at James Madison (4 p.m., NBCSN), is uncertain.

"Even Daryl McCoy [25 minutes, four points] has a really bad foot injury, and he probably shouldn't be out there," Flint said. "But he's sucking it up for me right now."

The JMU game is the first of three consecutive away from home for the Dragons, who quite literally are limping along at 5-10 and 1-2 in the CAA.

"When you are down men, you're down men. It is what it is," Flint continued. "Guys have to be ready. I'm not one of those guys who sit around and talk about injuries. If a guy is injured, he's on the sideline. We deal with the dudes that are out there."