Lee's Three Pulls Dragons Past Hofstra Thursday in Overtime, 81-80

Thursday, January 26

Daskalakis Athletic Center

7:00

Drexel University

8-13 (2-6CAA)

Hofstra

10-12 (2-7CAA)

OT 1

Hofstra

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Lee's Three Pulls Dragons Past Hofstra Thursday in Overtime, 81-80

1/26/2017 9:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOX SCORE (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA -- Kurk Lee's three pointer with 17.1 seconds left in overtime pulled the Drexel men's basketball team past the Hofstra Pride on Thursday in overtime at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, 81-80.

As the clock ticked under 20 seconds to play with the Dragons trailing 80-78, Sammy Mojica penetrated to the foul line from the top of the key and kicked to the freshman on the right wing. Lee rose and hit with 17.1 seconds left on the clock to pull the Dragons ahead by one. On the ensuing possession after calling timeout, the Pride got the ball into the hands of Justin Wright-Foreman, who finished the night with 30 points on 13-of-25 shooting. Wright-Foreman drove to his left, the side on which he had been so successful all night, but missed a tough contested layup. The ball hung on the rim, and not one but two Pride players had chances at tip-ins, but no shots would fall and the Dragons came away with the 81-80 overtime victory.

Wright-Foreman went off for nine of his 30 points in the extra frame, finding success going left off the ball screen. Rodney Williams countered with six of his 22 points in overtime, finishing 10 for 15 from the field to go with eight rebounds and four assists. His 22 points put him one point away from 1,000 in his career. Lee scored all 17 of his points after halftime along with four assists. Mojica put together another complete game with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal.

To get to overtime, the Dragons saw a 13-point halftime lead slip away as the Pride clawed back. Slowly chipping into the Drexel lead, Hofstra still found itself down 13 when it began making its run at the 13:25 mark. Hofstra went on a 14-2 run before Lee's free throw at 6:27, a run which saw the Dragons go scoreless for nearly five minutes. Hofstra, which dictated a slower pace in the second half after Drexel's huge first, would not take its first lead of the second half until there were 55 seconds left, going ahead 69-68 despite Wright-Foreman missing three of four from the line in the final two and a half minutes. The next time down the floor, Miles Overton, who finished in double figures for the 13th time in his last 14 games, drew a foul and hit one of two from the line to tie it at 69-69. That would be the score heading into overtime after a busted play and turnover from Hofstra out of a timeout and a halfcourt prayer from Overton at the buzzer that went unanswered.

The first half saw the two teams trade buckets for the first nearly eight minutes before the Pride went cold from the field. Down 13-12 with 12:18 left in the half, Drexel went on a 12-2 run capped by an emphatic Williams slam. The Dragons would also hold the Pride without a field goal from the 12:18 mark to the 7:07 mark and just two field goals for more than eight minutes. Drexel, which shot a blistering 16 of 29 from the field in the frame, grew a lead to as many as 14 with three minutes remaining before the Pride cut it back under 10. However, threes from Kari Jonsson and Williams on back-to-back possessions to end the first half sent the Dragons to the locker room with the momentum and a 44-31 lead.

With Austin Williams out, the Dragons were able to weather a 47-37 deficit on the glass. Hofstra was led on the glass by Ty Greer, who had 11 boards, and Rokas Gustys, who had 10 rebounds to go with 10 points for a double-double. Brian Bernardi, who lit a fire under the Pride in the second half, finished with 14 points. Deron Powers, who fouled out with 5:59 left in the second half, had 11 points, five assists and five rebounds. The Pride shot just shy of 41 percent from the field and were just 3 for 25 from deep, while the Dragons shot just shy of 51 percent overall and were 7 for 16 from beyond the arc.

Drexel (8-13, 2-6 CAA) will return to action Saturday on Homecoming when it hosts the College of Charleston at the DAC at 2 p.m.