Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Hofstra
Rodgers' 26 Points Leads Dragons Past Hofstra, 70-52
1/14/2009 9:00:59 PM | Men's Basketball
Philadelphia. – Scott Rodgers poured in a career-high 26 points as Drexel defeated Hofstra, 70-52, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Wednesday night. The win evened Drexel's CAA record at 3-3 as they improved to 7-8 overall. Hofstra fell to 10-7 overall and 2-4 in league play.
The Dragons broke the game open in the early going of the second half. Jamie Harris, Rodgers and Tramayne Hawthorne each had three-pointers in the first six minutes of the half as the Drexel lead swelled to 52-32. Hofstra trimmed the lead to 11 on three occasions, but the Dragons put the game away from the foul line. The Dragons made all 14 of their free throw attempts in the second half. Leon Spencer, who matched his career-high of 12 points in the team's last outing against Georgia State, was 8-for-8 from the line in the second half, while Rodgers was 4-for-4. The Dragons shot 81 percent from the line overall, sinking 21 of their 26 free-throw attempts.
Drexel scored the first five points of the game and never trailed in the contest. Kenny Tribbett scored the team's first seven points of the game as Drexel opened up a 20-point first half lead before Hofstra got the lead down 36-22 at the break. Hofstra's Charles Jenkins, the team's leading scorer, and Dane Johnson, the team's leading rebounder got in foul trouble early. Both players had three fouls at intermission.
Rodgers, who had 25 points in the first meeting against the Pride, finished the game 8-for-13 from the floor. He also grabbed nine rebounds, as did freshman Samme Givens. Spencer added six boards and blocked three shots. The Pride was led by Cornelius Vines and Miklos Szabo, who each had 12 points. Drexel held Hofstra to 29.9 percent shooting, the lowest total of any Drexel opponent this season. The Dragons also had their best game of the season from behind the arc, hitting seven of 17 three-point attempts.
The Dragons are back on the road on Saturday, as the visit UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m.
