Second-Half Run Sends Drexel Past UNCW, 66-55, In Tourney Opener
Rob Washburn
BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | SIGHTS & SOUNDS | PHOTO GALLERY | DREXEL PRESSER | UNCW PRESSER
WASHINGTON, DC (March 7, 2020) – Sophomore guard Camren Wynter scored a team-high 18 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 1:45 to play, to lift 8
th-seeded Drexel to a 66-55 victory over #9 UNCW in the opening game of the 2020 Hercules Tires CAA Men’s Basketball Championship at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
Drexel (14-18) advances to face top-seeded Hofstra at Noon on Sunday in the quarterfinals, while UNCW’s season came to an end with a 10-22 mark.
Wynter was joined in double figures by Zach Walton with 12 points, while James Butler contributed seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Dragons. Sophomore forward Marten Linssen tallied team-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds for the Seahawks, and Ty Gadsden added 13 points off the bench.
After a competitive first half that featured eight lead changes and six ties, Drexel took a 32-31 advantage into intermission following T.J. Bickerstaff’s short jumper in the lane with 36 seconds left. Neither team led by more than four points over the first 20 minutes as Wynter paced the Dragons with 10 points on 5-of-6 FG shooting, while Linssen contributed 10 points and five rebounds for the Seahawks.
Drexel used a 10-0 run early in the second half to build a lead they would never relinquish. Back-to-back threes from Mate Okros and Wynter put the Dragons up 40-33 with 18:18 left and Butler followed with a pair of buckets that gave Drexel its largest lead of the game, 44-33, with 17:10 remaining.
UNCW battled back to within three on several occasions, trimming the deficit to 54-51 on a Linssen layup with 3:01 remaining. However, Drexel answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Walton and Wynter that extended their lead to 60-51 with 1:45 to go. The Seahawks didn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way as Drexel was able to make all six of his free throw attempts in the final minute.
Drexel shot 42.1% from the floor, including 9-of-21 from 3-point range. UNCW connected on just 38.6% of its shots and was 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.