Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
UCLA
No. 16 UCLA Survives Scare From Drexel, 57-56
11/25/2005 12:00:00 AM
Trailing by four at the half, the Dragons opened the final period with an 8-0 run to take the lead. Chaz Crawford, who was held off the board in the first half, scored six of those points. The Drexel lead grew to as many as seven points when Randy Oveneke scored at the 9:08 mark to make it 46-39. UCLA rallied and took its first lead of the second half with just over seven minutes to play, but Drexel countered and took a 56-51 lead on a Kenell Sanchez lay-up with 3:48 left. It turned out to be the last Dragon points of the night.
Arron Afflalo drained a three-pointer to cut it to four, and after a Drexel turnover, Afflalo was fouled with 6.8 seconds to play taking a three-pointer. He made two of three to tie the game at 56-56. After a UCLA timeout, Crawford's tough in bounds pass went off of Mason's hands to give the Bruins possession. Farmar then took the ball to the basket against Mason, who fouled him on the shot with less than a tick on the clock. Farmar missed the first shot badly, but sank the next one to make it 57-56. Drexel's Randy Hampton fired the inbounds pass the length of the court, but UCLA's Lorenzo Mata grabbed the ball as the Bruins escaped New York with the win.
"This is a young team and we talked about coming here and making a mark and I think we did that," Head Coach Bruiser Flint said.
Sanchez led the Dragons with 14 points. Frank Elegar had a career-high 13 points, while Mason also chipped in with 13 points. UCLA was led by Afflalo, who had 18. The Dragon held Farmar, a preseason Wooden Award and Naismith candidate, to just 1-for-10 shooting from the floor and six points.
Drexel has no time to rest as the Dragons face Penn at the Palestra on Saturday at 4 p.m.
