Dragons Defeat William & Mary for 14th Straight Win

Tuesday, February 14

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00

Drexel University

William & Mary

Frantz Massenat scored 22 in Drexel's win

Dragons Defeat William & Mary for 14th Straight Win

2/14/2012 9:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Philadelphia, Pa. – Frantz Massenat scored 22 points and handed out eight assists as Drexel hung on to defeat William & Mary, 63-61. It was the 14^th straight win for the Dragons, who remained in a tie for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 14-2 conference mark.

The Dragons (22-5) trailed by a point with 3:30 to play after Tim Rusthoven scored on a lay-up, putting the Tribe (5-23, 3-13) ahead 52-51. After each team had an empty possession, Massenat took over. He scored on a three-point play with 2:17 to play to put the Dragons ahead. They would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. On Drexel's next possession, Massenat made a short jumper to increase the lead to four points. The sophomore scored 10 of Drexel's final 12 points. William & Mary did not go away quietly as the Tribe trimmed the lead to four on a Marcus Thornton lay-up with just 27 seconds left. The Tribe fouled Samme Givens, who missed the front end of a one-and-one, and answered with another Rusthoven bucket with only :13 left in regulation. Massenat was fouled and made both ends of the bonus, but Brandon Britt nailed a three-pointer with three seconds to play to make it a one-point game. The Tribe immediately fouled Massenat and he missed the first but scored on the second to give Drexel a slim 63-61 lead. William & Mary inbounded under their own basket. The Tribe threw a pass the length of the court to Quinn McDowell, but the senior could not control the ball and Drexel escaped without the Tribe getting off a shot.

Drexel opened up a 10 point lead in the first half as the Dragons shot 5-for-10 from behind the arc. Derrick Thomas was hot early, sinking three three-pointers in the first half. The junior finished with 16 points. William & Mary gained some momentum heading into the locker room when Marcus Thornton hit a three-pointer at the buzzer cutting the Drexel lead to 31-25 at intermission.

Massenat finished the game 7-for-17 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the line. He had 17 of his 22 points in the second half and committed just one turnover. Samme Givens led the Dragons with 11 rebounds. It was the 20^th win in the last 21 games for the Dragons, who extended the third longest winning streak in the nation. Drexel also remained perfect at the Daskalakis Athletic Center with a 12-0 mark. The Dragons have won 15 straight on their home court dating back to last season.

Thornton led four players in double figures for William & Mary with 13 points. Brandon Britt added 12, while Rusthoven an Kendrix Brown each contributed 11 points. The Tribe shot 7-for-15 from behind the arc. Overall William & Mary shot 49 percent from the floor.

Drexel steps out of conference play this weekend, when it makes a trip to Ohio to take on Cleveland State. The teams meet at 11 a.m. on ESPNU in a Bracketbusters contest.