Spring Break
Drexel wins fourth straight
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 1/23/09 Section: Sports
For a team that was picked last in the conference by coaches, media and sports information directors, the men's basketball team doesn't want this season to be about what is projected to happen.
Instead the Dragons are creating their own Cinderella story.
The men's basketball team won its fourth game in a row, upending the Delaware Blue Hens 79-69 Jan. 20 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Drexel forward Samme Givens scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting in just 23 minutes of play.
Despite not starting, Givens was eager to be given the opportunity to assist his team.
"When I was on the bench, coach said keep your head in the game and be ready," Givens said.
He provided Drexel (9-8, 5-3 CAA) a much-needed boost when the Blue Hens (8-12, 2-6 CAA) tried cutting their deficit to under three points.
With the win, the Dragons move into fourth place in the conference despite being picked 12th at the beginning of the season.
"It has to be motivation," Givens said in response to why his team is playing so well. "Nobody wants to be picked last. To be picked last is an embarrassment. We have something to prove to everybody in the league."
The Dragons had difficulty containing Delaware's Alphonso Dawson, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
"[Delaware is] a good offensive team," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. "You have to keep them at bay a little bit."
But the biggest difference in the game was Drexel's bench.
The Dragons bench outscored the Blue Hens 38-11 and once again, Drexel forward Leon Spencer had a productive night as he had 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
"[Givens and Spencer] killed us," Delaware coach Monte Ross said. "They just went at us. That's freshman on senior. A lot of credit goes to those guys for pounding it in. We were really hurt on the inside."
The men's basketball team had one of its best shooting performances of the season, finishing at just under 46 percent.
Drexel also shot 78.9 percent from the free throw line in the second half and 71 percent overall.
"We're a better foul shooting team and shooting the ball better," Flint said. "We lost a lot of games early because we shot less than 35 percent in seven games. We shot 35 percent in all these games and it still came down to the last minute."
The men's basketball team also scored 40 points in the paint compared to Delaware's 28.
Delaware came into the game as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the conference with over seven per game. But, it struggled from beyond the arc making just three of 12 shots.
The Dragons outrebounded Delaware 35-30, but Flint isn't concerned that his team didn't have a bigger differential.
"Our rebounding stats have come down because we aren't missing as many shots anymore."
Drexel avenged last year's 60-51 loss against Delaware in the first round of the CAA Tournament.
Instead the Dragons are creating their own Cinderella story.
The men's basketball team won its fourth game in a row, upending the Delaware Blue Hens 79-69 Jan. 20 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Drexel forward Samme Givens scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting in just 23 minutes of play.
Despite not starting, Givens was eager to be given the opportunity to assist his team.
"When I was on the bench, coach said keep your head in the game and be ready," Givens said.
He provided Drexel (9-8, 5-3 CAA) a much-needed boost when the Blue Hens (8-12, 2-6 CAA) tried cutting their deficit to under three points.
With the win, the Dragons move into fourth place in the conference despite being picked 12th at the beginning of the season.
"It has to be motivation," Givens said in response to why his team is playing so well. "Nobody wants to be picked last. To be picked last is an embarrassment. We have something to prove to everybody in the league."
The Dragons had difficulty containing Delaware's Alphonso Dawson, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
"[Delaware is] a good offensive team," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. "You have to keep them at bay a little bit."
But the biggest difference in the game was Drexel's bench.
The Dragons bench outscored the Blue Hens 38-11 and once again, Drexel forward Leon Spencer had a productive night as he had 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
"[Givens and Spencer] killed us," Delaware coach Monte Ross said. "They just went at us. That's freshman on senior. A lot of credit goes to those guys for pounding it in. We were really hurt on the inside."
The men's basketball team had one of its best shooting performances of the season, finishing at just under 46 percent.
Drexel also shot 78.9 percent from the free throw line in the second half and 71 percent overall.
"We're a better foul shooting team and shooting the ball better," Flint said. "We lost a lot of games early because we shot less than 35 percent in seven games. We shot 35 percent in all these games and it still came down to the last minute."
The men's basketball team also scored 40 points in the paint compared to Delaware's 28.
Delaware came into the game as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the conference with over seven per game. But, it struggled from beyond the arc making just three of 12 shots.
The Dragons outrebounded Delaware 35-30, but Flint isn't concerned that his team didn't have a bigger differential.
"Our rebounding stats have come down because we aren't missing as many shots anymore."
Drexel avenged last year's 60-51 loss against Delaware in the first round of the CAA Tournament.
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