Spring Break
Elegar leads comeback win
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 1/11/08 Section: Sports
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But the Dragons (8-6, 1-1 CAA) fought back going on a 45-24 run in the second half, defeating the Seahawks (8-6, 1-1 CAA) 70-60 Jan. 2 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Drexel only shot 35 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range for the game, but took 33 more free throw attempts than UNC-Wilmington.
"Give Drexel credit," UNC Wilmington coach Benny Moss said. "We have to be able to defend better without fouling."
Frank Elegar had game highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds, including 20 free throw attempts. He also had two blocks, giving him 100 for his career.
Scott Rodgers added 13 points and three assists for Drexel.
T.J. Carter had a team-high 18 points for the Seahawks, but also had six turnovers. Daniel Fountain scored 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting beyond the arc and had six rebounds.
In addition to Drexel's first conference win of the year, Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint also picked up his 200th career win. He surely didn't expect to win it against the Seahawks seeing how his team has struggled against them in the past and fell behind early in the game.
"We were lucky it was only 11-0," Flint said. "I think I got my 100th game against Wilmington. I haven't got many against them that's for sure.
After losing 10 of their first 12 head-to-head games with the Seahawks, the Dragons have won the past three.
The Dragons got their first lead of the game with 10:55 remaining in the second half when Evan Neisler scored, putting Drexel up 40-39.
UNC-Wilmington took the lead just one more time the rest of the game, before Gerald Colds made a jump shot with 10:19 remaining, putting Drexel up for good.
Drexel trailed 32-18 with 3:55 left in the first half, but outscored UNC-Wilmington 52-28 the rest of the contest.
After turning the ball over 10 times in the first half, Drexel settled down and only had three in the second.
The Dragons shot 33 percent from the field and 14 percent from the 3-point line in the first half. They trailed 34-25 at halftime.
At halftime, Flint told his teammates to "pick up the intensity and come ready to play."
Everything seemed to be going UNC-Wilmington's way in the first 20 minutes of play. Vladimir Kuljanin had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting and Fountain had eight points and three assists.
The Seahawks struggled in the second half, shooting just 31 percent from the field. Kuljanin didn't score any points.
Drexel shot 57 percent from the 3-point line and was 21-of-30 from the free throw line in the second half.
Overall, Drexel outshot UNC-Wilmington 40-7 from the charity stripe.
Game Notes:
UNC-Wilmington is 10-5 against Drexel, but has lost the last three games in the series. … There were 912 fans in attendance. "We don't play in a league where there are 7,000 fans every night," Flint said. "We play in the CAA, not the ACC." … Rob Hampton had a career-high in points (6), rebounds (4) and assists (3).
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