Spring Break
Strong defense helps Drexel knock off Robert Morris
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
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However, it wasn't pretty.
The Dragons (4-1) defeated the Robert Morris Colonials (2-2) 56-40 Nov. 23 at the Palestra in the first round of the Philly Hoop Classic, despite shooting just nine-for-23 from the foul line and committing 26 turnovers.
"It was rough today, rough to watch," head coach Bruiser Flint said. "Our offense left much to be desired."
Drexel did start off on a high note.
Trailing 4-0 early on, the Dragons used a 17-6 run, sparked by consecutive threes from Tramayne Hawthorne and Gerald Colds, to grab a 17-10 lead at the 9:47 mark.
Then their defense stepped it into high gear.
Drexel held Robert Morris without a field goal for nearly seven and a half minutes and their offense scored 10 points, pushing the lead to 27-10 with 3:07 remaining.
A jumper by Mezie Nwigwe at 2:54 ended the scoring drought.
During the drought, the Colonials missed nine consecutive shots and turned the ball over five times.
The Dragons once again received threes from Colds and Hawthorne en route to their 17-point advantage.
Hawthorne scored a game-high 14 points and Colds added 11 for Drexel.
The Dragons pushed their lead up to 18 at intermission and led by as many as 22 early in the second.
However, an offense that shot 57 percent in the first half struggled to find itself after that.
Holding a 36-14 lead, Drexel let Robert Morris back into the game with a scoring drought of its own.
The Dragons were held scoreless for nearly five minutes, while the Colonials scored 10 unanswered points of their own, pulling within 12 with 15:22 left.
It wouldn't get any closer than that.
Drexel answered with four straight points on a driving layup by Randy Oveneke and a pair of Evan Neisler free throws to take a 42-26 advantage.
Once again Robert Morris cut the lead to 12.
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