Strong Second Half Propels Dragons Past Princeton, 64-57

Saturday, December 8

Princeton, N.J.

2:00

Drexel University

3-6

Princeton

3-5

Drexel

Princeton

Strong Second Half Propels Dragons Past Princeton, 64-57

12/8/2012 12:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Princeton, N.J. – Drexel came back from a 13-point first half deficit to defeat Princeton, 64-57, in Jadwin Gym on Saturday afternoon. The Dragons held the Tigers to just one field goal over the last 8:17 of the game to pick up the win. Damion Lee led the Dragons with 21 points.

Drexel (3-6) trailed by six after Will Barrett nailed a three-pointer to give the Tigers a 48-42 lead with just under 11 minutes to play. The Dragons responded with the next five points. Damion Lee scored on a drive and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but Dartaye Ruffin came up with in and on that possession, Frantz Massenat nailed a three-pointer. After a Princeton (3-5) bucket, the Dragons rattled off the next eight points, including six by Kazembe Abif, to take the lead for the first time since the early going.

The Tigers fought back and were aided by a technical foul, which awarded them two free throws and then a one-and-one opportunity. They made a stop on the defensive end and then Barrett hit two free throws to tie the game at 57-57. The second free throw would be the last Tiger point of the day. Lee nailed a three-pointer for the Dragons with 2:10 to play, which gave Drexel the lead for good. Daryl McCoy made both ends of a one-and-one with 18 seconds left to clinch the win. Drexel shot 63 percent in the second half and held Princeton to just 7-for-20 shooting in the second half.

Princeton raced out to an early-lead and led by as many as 13 points in the first half. The Tigers went on 10-0 run to take a 30-17 advantage. Six of those points came from Ian Hummer, who had 14 points in the half to go along with six rebounds. Drexel chipped away at the lead late and closed the half with an 8-2 run of its own, keyed by a three-pointer by Lee with 35 seconds to play to make it a 32-25 game. The Tigers shot 58 percent in the first half, led by Hummer's 7-for-10 shooting.

Lee was 6-for-11 shooting and made three of his five three-point attempts. Ruffin finished with 12 points, while both Massenat and McCoy had eight points. McCoy also led the team with eight rebounds as Drexel outrebounded the Tigers, 32-20. Hummer had 19 to lead Princeton.

Drexel is off this week for final exams. The Dragons will be back on the road next weekend when they travel to Connecticut to face Fairfield University. The game will be played on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m.