The Triangle

Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Evan Rosen Frank Elegar hangs on the rim after dunking for two of his co-game-high 13 points. The Dragons won 65-51 against Towson Feb. 9 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

They say the situation is always at its darkest before the light. Drexel had lost six straight and nine of 10 games, but the team has been playing well lately. The Dragons finally broke through at the Daskalakis Athletic Center with a 65-51 win over the Towson Tigers Feb. 9.

Drexel (10-15, 3-10 CAA) used a balanced scoring offense to power past the Tigers (9-14, 5-8 CAA). Frank Elegar, Tramayne Hawthorne and Scott Rodgers led all scorers with 13 points each. Rob Hampton added 11 points, making him the fourth Dragon to score in the double digits.

"We've always had a balanced attack," Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint, said. "Guys get some points when they make some foul shots. The last couple games we have, but that's been one of those things. Guys can have five points, but they would be 2-7 from the foul line. That's hurt us throughout the year."

The Dragons hit 23-33 free throws with Hampton and Elegar each connecting on 7-10. The team earned that many foul shots because the guards did a better job of driving to the hoop.

"They can't stand around," Flint said. "You don't have to penetrate to score. You can penetrate to pass. You can penetrate to reverse the ball, and we haven't done that. We just stand around sometimes. I just want my guys to get in the lane. Make the other team do something instead of just standing there."

Drexel turned that aggression into a 20-2 run early in the first half to build a sizeable lead. The Tigers never came within nine points the rest of the way.

"We stepped and made foul shots when we needed to," Flint said. "I thought we played well defensively the entire game."

Towson could not get into an offensive rhythm the entire game as the Tigers shot just 31 percent from the field.

Junior Hairston has been Towson's go-to guy this season, averaging 12.6 points and 10 boards per game. However, he has not been able to practice lately because of a lingering hip pointer injury. He was stuck in foul trouble all game and had only 10 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes.

Continued...

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