Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
UNC Wilmington
Dragons Use Big Second Half to Outlast UNC Wilmington, 70-60
1/2/2008 9:19:13 PM | Men's Basketball
Phladelphia, Pa. – Drexel used a 17-3 second-half run to come from behind and beat UNC Wilmington, 70-60, as Head Coach Bruiser Flint picked up his 200th career win.
The Seahawks (8-6, 1-1 CAA) led by as many as 14 points in the game and 11 points in the second half before Drexel (8-6, 1-1) made its run. Freshman Gerald Colds (New York, N.Y./St. Raymond's) nailed two three-pointers to ignite the offense. He had eight points during the stretch and put the Dragon up for good at 42-41 with 10:19 remaining. The Dragons extended the lead to seven, but UNCW made it a one-point game at 53-52 with just under five minutes to play after Daniel Fountain knocked down a pair of treys. Drexel scored the next four points and held on for its first conference win of the year.
UNCW jumped out to an early 11-0 lead and held the Dragons off the board until Kenny Tribbett (Berlin, N.J./Chester) scored at 15:04. The Seahawks shot a blistering 52 percent in the first half as they took a 34-25 lead to intermission. Vladimir Kuljanin led the way, scoring all 10 of his points in the first half.
Drexel won despite shooting just 35 percent from the floor. The Dragons won the game at the line, converting 27 of their 40 attempts, and committed just three turnovers after the break. Both teams struggled shooting in the second half. The Dragons managed to shoot just 10-for-28 from the floor, but did make four three-pointers. UNCW made just nine field goals in the final 20 minutes.
Frank Elegar (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond's) led the Dragons with his fourth double-double of the year. The senior had 21 points and 11 rebounds, but shot just 4-for-13 from the floor. He was also 13-fo-20 from the free-throw stripe and had two blocked shots to give him 100 in his career. Scott Rodgers (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) added 13 points and had three assists. The Seahawks were led by T.J. Carter, who had 18 points and seven rebounds. Fountain added 16 points, including four three-pointers.
The Dragons had key contributions from their bench in the win. Tramayne Hawthorne (Steelton, Pa./Steelton-Highspire) grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists and had four steals. Rob Hampton (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) had his best game as a collegian with six points, four rebounds and three assists. Hampton was 6-for-6 from the line, with all of his free throws coming down the stretch.
The Dragons conclude their six-game homestand on Saturday against Delaware. The game will be played at the Daskalakis Athletic Center beginning at 4 p.m.
