Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
UNC Wilmington
Spencer's Career Night Leads Drexel Past UNCW, 76-52
1/18/2009 12:09:37 AM | Men's Basketball
Wilmington, N.C. – Leon Spencer scored a career-high 21 points, all in the second half, as Drexel defeated UNC Wilmington in North Carolina, 76-52. The Dragons held the Seahawks to just four field goals in the second half and made all 16 of their free throws as they won for the third straight game.
Drexel (8-8, 4-3 CAA) broke open a close game midway through the second half. UNCW (4-15, 1-6 CAA) took a 45-44 with 9:49 to play when Montez Downey made all three of his free throw attempts after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Drexel responded by closing the game with a 32-7 run. Spencer came up huge in the second half with 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting. He was 5-for-5 from the line. As a team, the Dragons set a season-high by making 62 percent of their shots in the second half and 52 percent in the game. The team also set the school record by extending its streak of consecutive free throws made to 32. The old record was set by 1987-88 team with 31 in a row.
Spencer, Tramayne Hawthorne and Samme Givens came off the bench to combine for 43 points. The trio was 17-for-26 from the floor. The Dragons dominated the boards in the game, outrebounding the Seahawks, 47-26. Givens led the team with 12 boards, while Evan Neisler added eight. Hawthorne finished the game with 16 points and had four three-pointers.
Drexel rallied from a slow start to tie the game at halftime. The Drexel defense held UNCW without a point for the final four minutes and had six points during that stretch to make it 29-29 after the first 20 minutes. The Dragons turned the ball over 11 times in the half, but got significant contributions off the bench from Tramayne Hawthorne and Samme Givens. Hawthorne had three three-pointers and 11 points in the half, while Givens scored six points and grabbed six boards. UNCW's Johnny Wolf poured in 14 points in the first half and was 6-for-6 from the floor. He finished with a team-high 17 points.
The Dragons begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Drexel faces Delaware at 7 p.m. in a game that can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet.
