Drexel University
Syracuse
Men's Basketball Stuns Syracuse, 84-79
12/19/2006 10:07:10 PM | Men's Basketball
Syracuse, N.Y. – Drexel rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half and stunned No. 23 Syracuse, 84-79, in the Carrier Dome. Frank Elegar (Bronx, N.Y./St/. Raymond's) poured in a career-high 27 points as the Dragons (7-2) knocked off a ranked opponent for the first time since the 1996 NCAA Tournament. The Dragons won for the fifth-straight time and defeated their second-straight Big East opponent. Syracuse dropped to 9-3.
After trailing by as many as 10 in the second half, Drexel made two runs in the second half to get even and then take a lead which swelled to 10 points with 3:35 to play. Syracuse eventually cut the lead to three on a pair of free throws by Paul Harris with :36 to play, but Chaz Crawford (Philadelphia, Pa./Hargrave Military) sank a pair of free throws and, after Bashir Mason (Jersey City, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) grabbed a rebound, the senior sank one of two to give the Dragons a five-point cushion with just nine seconds to play. Drexel sank eight of its final 10 free throws in the closing 1:33.
The Dragons, who trailed at the half by seven, were behind 46-36 with just over 18 minutes to play in the contest. Midway through the second half, Drexel went on a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the half at 54-53. Mason and Scott Rodgers (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) each had three-pointers during the stretch. Syracuse's Darryl Watkins broke the run with a dunk at the 11:46 mark. With the score tied at 57-57, the Dragons scored seven straight points as Elegar had a jumper and a layup sandwiched by a Dominick Mejia (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern) three-pointer that made the score 64-57.
Mejia had 10 of his 16 points in the first half and had four three-pointers. Mason played an outstanding game at the point. He scored 14 points, made five steals and handed out five assists without committing a turnover.
Demetris Nichols led Syracuse with 31 points. Watkins had 14 points, 13 rebounds and blocked five shots. The Drexel defense forced 18 Orange turnovers and held Syracuse to just 32 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.
The Dragons return to Philadelphia to face Temple at the Liacouris Center on December 22. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The contest can be heard on WNTP 990 AM and on the web at drexeldragons.com.
