Butler Leads Drexel Past Monmouth, 71-61, as Dragons Win Fourth Straight

Saturday, March 1

Philadelphia, Pa.

2 p.m.

Drexel University

17-14,9-9CAA

Monmouth

12-19,10-8CAA

Monmouth

Drexel

Butler Leads Drexel Past Monmouth, 71-61, as Dragons Win Fourth Straight

3/1/2025 4:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - The game was tightly contested throughout the day. There were 18 lead changes and the game was tied on eight occasions. The Hawks (12-19, 10-8) took what proved to be their last lead of the game with 11:57 to play when Madison Durr found Jordan Meka for a dunk, making it 46-44. Drexel tied it on the next possession when Kobe MaGee scored on a lay-up. Later on in the half, with the Dragons ahead by just a point, Victor Panov started the 8-0 run with a 3-pointer. MaGee then made a pair of free throws, and after a Monmouth turnover, Panov sank another trey, giving Drexel a 61-52 lead. The Hawks couldn't get any closer the rest of the way.

Butler, playing for the last time this season at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, had one of his most efficient games. The Greenbelt, Md. native was 4-for-6 from the floor and finished 10-for-11 from the line. He sank a pair of 3-pointers as he picked up his fifth 20-point game of the year. MaGee added 15 and had a team-high eight rebounds. Shane Blakeney had a good night on both ends of the court. The sophomore scored 11 points and was 3-for-4 from deep. Overall, Drexel shot 44 percent from behind the arc. Cole Hargrove tied his career-high with four rejections and now has 55 this season.

With the win., the Dragons clinched their fifth straight winning season. The last time Drexel had five straight winning seasons came during the 1996-97 season. Drexel's defense played much better against the Hawks in the rematch on Saturday. The Dragons held the Hawks to 38 percent shooting and contained Abdi Bashir, Jr. and Durr. Bashir, the CAA's leading scorer, finished with 15 points on 6-for-20 shooting. Durr had just 10 points. The duo combined for 72 points in the first meeting in New Jersey. Jack Collins led Monmouth with 14 points.

Drexel begins play in the 2025 Jersey Mike's CAA Men's Basketball Championship next Saturday in Washington, D.C. The Dragons will find out this evening who they will be playing in the opening round at CareFirst Arena.