Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
George Mason
Mason Edges Drexel in Final Seconds, 49-48
2/18/2009 9:10:15 PM | Men's Basketball
Fairfax, Va. – Leon Spencer's short turnaround jump shot bounced off the rim as time expired to give George Mason a 49-48 victory over Drexel on Wednesday night at the Patriot Center. Scott Rodgers drove to the lane but had the ball knocked away. Spencer picked up the loose ball but his shot would not fall as the Patriots defeated the Dragons by a point for the second time this season.
Darryl Monroe gave the Patriots the lead for good with just 7.5 seconds left. Monroe rebounded a Dre Smith miss and scored on the put back to make it a 49-48 game. The game went back and forth the entire second half as neither team could extend a lead to more than three points.
Drexel fell to 14-11 and 10-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Mason stayed perfect at home and extended its winning streak in the Patriot Center to 15. The Patriots are now 18-8 and 11-5 in league play.
Neisler finished with his third double-double of the year. The junior had 14 points and 11 rebounds and was 4-for-5 from the floor. Rodgers added 12 points and was the only other Dragon in double figures. Monroe led George Mason with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Drexel scored the first seven points of the game and went up by as many as 11 when Hawthorne nailed a three-pointer at the 13:10 mark to make it a 14-3 game. Mason chipped away at the lead and held Drexel off the board for the final 3:52 of the half. During that time, the Patriots scored seven unanswered points as the teams went to the half tied at 24-24. Neisler and Rodgers each had six in the first half for the Dragons, while Michael Morrison and Dre Smith scored six apiece for the Patriots.
The Dragons return home for their next two games. On Saturday, Drexel hosts Loyola (Md.) in a non-conference game at 5 p.m. The Dragons return to conference play on Wednesday night, when Northeastern visits the Daskalakis Athletic Center. It will be Senior Night and mark the last regular-season home game for seniors Scott Rodgers, Tramayne Hawthorne, Bobby Jordan and Chris Mohl.
