Drexel Defeats Northeastern, 74-67, To Reach CAA Title Game For The First Time Since 2012
Rob Washburn
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HARRISONBURG, Va., Sixth-seeded Drexel advanced to the finals of the Hercules Tires CAA Men’s Basketball Championship for the first time since 2012 following a 74-67 win over second-seeded Northeastern on Monday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
The Dragons (11-7) shot 52.0 percent from the field and made 8-of-16 from three-point range in the win. Drexel also outrebounded the Huskies, 38-26, and hit 14-of-16 free throws.
Zach Walton led four Dragons in double figures with 15 points. Point guard Cam Wynter added 14 points and senior forward James Butler pitched in a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Northeastern (10-9) got the majority of its offense from freshman Jahmyl Telfort and sophomore Tyson Walker, who combined to score 53 of the Huskies’ 67 points. Telfot led all scorers with a career-high 30 points and Walker added 23 points and five assists.
Drexel led 34-29 at the half and pushed the lead to 13 points less than three minutes into the second half on a jumper by Wynter. NU fought back and cut the lead to 53-52 on a three-pointer by Telfort with 6:21 remaining. Drexel responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Mate Okros and a triple from Butler to go up 62-54 with 3:53 left. The Dragons sealed the victory by making 10-of-10 from the free throw line over the final 1:04.
Drexel will be making its third appearance in the CAA championship game, but is looking to win the title for the first time. The Dragons will face 8
th-seeded Elon, who is making its first trip to the CAA Championship game, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. There has never been a matchup of the #6 and #8 seeds in the CAA championship game.