Drexel University
Northeastern
Huskies Edge Drexel in Closing Seconds, 47-46
2/25/2009 10:24:45 PM | Men's Basketball
Philadelphia – Northeastern's Baptiste Bataille scored on a rebound of a blocked shot with 1.3 second left as the Huskies defeated Drexel in the Daskalakis Athletic Center, 47-46. The loss dropped the Dragons into a tie for fifth place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 10-7 record. The Huskies (18-10, 12-5) remained tied for the second spot and clinched a bye in the upcoming CAA Tournament.
The game was tied at 45-45 with 4:15 remaining after Northeastern's Chris Alvarez scored on a lay-up. Drexel (15-12) took a one-point lead at the 3:43 mark when Evan Neisler made one of two free throws. The defenses kept the score the same until the final minute. Drexel called time with 24 seconds left in the game. After the timeout, Drexel ran a play that got Tramayne Hawthorne in the lane for a short runner that bounced off the rim. NU's Matt Janning got the rebound and got the ball to Chaisson Allen. Once the Huskies got in the Dragons' end, Allen found Janning, whose shot was blocked by Leon Spencer, but Bataille put home the rebound to give the Huskies the hard-fought victory.
Northeastern raced out to an early 12-0 lead as Drexel was held off the board until Scott Rodgers made a three-pointer four and a half minutes into the game. Rodgers led a Drexel comeback with three three-pointers in the half as Drexel trailed by just two at 27-25, heading into intermission.
The Dragons shot just 29.8 percent from the floor in the game and were held without a field goal for the final 5:50. Drexel came up with 19 offensive boards, but could manage just 13 second chance points. Northeastern didn't fare much better as the Huskies made only 38.6 percent of their field goal attempts. Janning, who came into the game seventh in the CAA in scoring at 14.9 points per game, was held to just two points, mainly due to the defensive efforts of Rodgers.
Manny Adako led Northeastern with 17 points and was 7-for-11 from the field. Rodgers, who scored all 13 of his points in the first half, led the Dragons and also had eight rebounds. Tramayne Hawthorne added 12 points, all coming on three-pointers. Rodgers had eight boards to go with his 13 points. Samme Givens picked up 10 rebounds in a losing cause for Drexel.
The game marked the final appearance at the Daskalakis Athletic Center for Rodgers, Hawthorne, Chris Mohl and Bobby Jordan. All four seniors started the game. Drexel concludes the regular season on Saturday at William & Mary. The Dragons can still clinch a bye in the tournament if they defeat the Tribe, Northeastern defeats Old Dominion and Hofstra defeats UNC Wilmington.
