Drexel earns first win over Arcadia

After having difficulty shooting in the season opener, Drexel found its stroke, albeit against a Division III opponent. Junior guard Tramaine Isabell, a transfer from Missouri, led five double-digit scorers with 22 points as Drexel defeated Arcadia, 95-81, on Monday at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Isabell missed the opener after "failing to meet a team standard," according to a team spokesman.

Also scoring in double figures for the Dragons were junior guard Troy Harper, a transfer from Campbell, who had 17 points, sophomore guard Kurk Lee (14), senior guard Sammy Mojica (13) and senior forward Austin Williams (10).

Harper shot 5 for 9 from the field after shooting 1 for 11 in Drexel's opening 78-69 loss to visiting Bowling Green on Friday.

"The 1 for 11, I was getting to my spots, I just wasn't making shots," Harper said. "I am still getting my feet wet and I think today helped me."

The game counted toward Drexel's record but was an exhibition for Arcadia.   Division III schools are not able to officially open their season until Wednesday.  Arcadia begins its season with a game at Gweynedd Mercy.

Drexel shot just 4 for 20 from beyond the arc against Bowling Green. Against Arcadia, the Dragons shot 10 for 24 (41.7 percent) from three-point range.

"I don't think we will be a 4 for 20 team," Drexel coach Zach Spiker said. "I don't know if we will be a 10 for 24 team, we might be somewhere in the middle."

The Dragons will need to be at their best when they begin play in the the Paradise Jam on Friday against Houston in Lynchburg, Va.

Houston (1-0) figures to be among many American Athletic Conference teams, including Temple, expected to vie for an NCAA tournament bid.

Aracadia got within seven points with under a minute left in the first half and trailed, 51-42, at intermission.

In the second half, Drexel would lead by as many as 21 points and was never seriously threatened.

The reason it's so important for the Dragons to shoot well is that they don't have tremendous size and will rely on a deep guard rotation.

One of those guards, senior Miles Overton, missed his second straight games due to a strained calf.

Arcadia was led by Da'Kquan Davis, a 6-foot-1 freshman from Roman Catholic, who scored 18 points.

"This is a great experience for our team," Arcadia coach Justin Scott said. "We have got a lot of kids from the area and to play against a Division I program is a dream to them."