Dragons Down UNCW, Advance to CAA Quarterfinals on Sunday

Saturday, March 7

Washington, D.C.

4 p.m.

Drexel University

14-18,6-12CAA

UNCW

10-22,5-13CAA

UNCW

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Dragons Down UNCW, Advance to CAA Quarterfinals on Sunday

3/7/2020 7:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Watch Quarterfinals on Flosports LIVE STATS VS. HOFSTRA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Camren Wynter scored 18 points and Drexel held UNCW to just 39 percent shooting as the Dragons defeated the Seahawks, 66-55, in the opening round of the 2020 Hercules Tires CAA Championship. With the win, the eighth-seeded Dragons (14-18) advanced to the CAA Quarterfinals on Sunday, where they will face top-seeded Hofstra.

Wynter was 8-for-12 from the floor and had a pair of three-pointers. Zach Walton added 12 points. The duo helped put the game away for the Dragons after UNCW cut the lead to just three points with 3:01 to go. Wynter found Walton in the corner and he nailed his only three of the day to put Drexel up six. After a stop on the other end, Wynter sank a three of his own at the 1:45 mark to put the Dragons ahead, 60-51. UNCW (10-22) wouldn't get closer than seven the rest of the way as Drexel picked up its 14th win of the year.

Sophomore forward Marten Linssen tallied team-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds for the Seahawks, and Ty Gadsden added 13 points off the bench.

After a competitive first half that featured eight lead changes and six ties, Drexel took a 32-31 advantage into intermission following T.J. Bickerstaff's short jumper in the lane with 36 seconds left. Neither team led by more than four points over the first 20 minutes as Wynter paced the Dragons with 10 points on 5-of-6 FG shooting, while Linssen contributed 10 points and five rebounds for the Seahawks.

Drexel shot 42.1% from the floor, including 9-of-21 from 3-point range. The Dragons held UNCW to just three three-pointers. Coletrane Washington and Mate Okros were each 3-for-4 from long range. James Butler grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, just one short of the Drexel single-game CAA Championships record set by Samme Givens and matched by Austin Williams. Butler now has 373 rebounds this season, the third-highest single-season total in Drexel history. Malik Rose has the two best rebounding seasons at Drexel with 409 during the 1995-96 season and 404 in 1994-95.