Dragons Fall Short Against George Mason, 75-65
Box score
Philadelphia, Pa. – George Mason scored nine straight points to break a 58-58 tie and defeated Drexel, 75-65, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Mason converted 14 of its 15 free throws in the second half, including eight straight in the final 1:19 of the contest to seal the victory.
Mason’s Folarin Campbell nailed a three-pointer at the 5:35 mark to put the Patriots (17-6, 9-3 CAA) up for good at 61-58. Louis Birdsong scored the next four points, two on free throws and the other two on a short jumper to make it a 65-58 score with just under four minutes to play. Drexel (9-15, 2-10) could not get any closer as the Dragons lost their sixth straight game.
Randy Oveneke (Antwerpen, Belgium/Saint-Anna College) had eight points in the early going as Drexel raced out to a 24-11 lead. The Dragons made four three-pointers in the early going, two each by Tramayne Hawthorne (Steelton, Pa./Steelton-Highspire) and Scott Rodgers (Philadelphia, Pa./Central), but the Patriots stormed back. Mason closed the half with a 26-7 run. Folarin Campbell had nine of his game-high 25 points in the final seven minutes of the first half. The senior finished 7-for-12 from the floor and 9-for-10 from the line.
Rodgers led Drexel with 18 points. Hawthorne added 17, including five three-pointers, while Oveneke chipped in with 12 points. Frank Elegar (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond's) came off the bench after sitting out Drexel’s last game with an injury, grabbed 11 rebounds but was held to five points. Rob Hampton had a career-high seven assists without a turnover in 24 minutes of play.
Mason, which won for the seventh time in the last eight games, also got a big performance from Will Thomas. He scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out five assists. John Vaughan came off the bench to score 13.
The Dragons conclude their three game homestand on Saturday against longtime-foe Towson University. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.