Drexel Tops Elon, 63-56, To Capture First CAA Men's Basketball Championship
Rob Washburn
CHAMP CENTRAL | BRACKET | BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | DREXEL PRESS CONFERENCE | ELON PRESS CONFERENCE | GAMEDAY VIDEO | GAME ACTION PHOTO GALLERY | DREXEL CELEBRATION PHOTO GALLERY
HARRISONBURG, Va., (March 9, 2021) - Sixth-seeded Drexel captured its first Hercules Tires CAA Men’s Basketball Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 after a 63-56 win over eighth-seeded Elon on Tuesday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
The Dragons (12-7) showed their depth as Mate Okros hit 4-of-5 from 3-point range and scored a team-high 14 points off the bench while freshman Xavier Bell contributed 11 points, more than three times his season average. Drexel, which became the first #6 seed to ever win the CAA title, went 10-of-17 (58.8%) from beyond the arc while limiting the Phoenix to 4-of-19 three-point shooting.
Elon (10-9), which was the first #8 seed to ever advance to the CAA championship game, got a game-high 19 points from guard Hunter McIntosh and 16 points from backcourt mate Ikenna Ndugba. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Phoenix.
Elon sprinted out to a 17-9 lead midway through the first half, but Drexel battled back and took a 32-27 advantage into intermission on a three-pointer by Zach Walton at the buzzer.
The Dragons stayed in control early in the second half before Elon closed to within 48-44 on a Ndugba bucket with 8:26 left. Drexel responded with back-to-back triples from Walton and Okros to push its cushion back to 10.
The Phoenix pulled back within four, 57-53, with 1:02 to go, but Drexel went 6-of-6 at the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.
Drexel, which joined the CAA in 2001-02, was making its third appearance in the CAA title game. The NCAA Tournament berth is the fifth in school history and first since a stretch of three straight from 1994-96.
Drexel junior guard Camren Wynter was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament and was joined on the all-tournament squad by teammates James Butler and Walton. Also making the team were Elon’s McIntosh and Ndugba and Hofstra’s Jalen Ray.
All-Tournament Team
Jalen Ray – Hofstra
Hunter McIntosh – Elon
Ikenna Ndugba – Elon
Zach Walton – Drexel
James Butler – Drexel
Camren Wynter – Drexel – Most Outstanding Player