Niagara Edges Drexel, 76-69, in ESPN Tip-Off Marathon
Box Score
Niagara, N.Y. - A three-pointer by Gerald Colds with 24 seconds remaining trimmed a Niagara lead that had swelled to as much as 15 points to just three, 72-69. Drexel had an opportunity to tie the game after the Purple Eagles turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds pass. But a three-pointer by Jamie Harris caromed wide and Samme Givens was whistled out-of-bounds while gathering the offensive rebound, allowing Niagara to pull away for the early morning win, 76-69, as part of ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon. Gerald Colds led the Dragons with 18 points, including three three-pointers. Rookie Derrick Thomas recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, he also led the team with five assists and did not commit a turnover.
The Dragons limited Niagara to 34.9 percent shooting from the floor, and just 25 percent in the second half, but the Purple Eagles gathered 19 offensive rebounds and converted them into 28 second-chance points.
UConn transfer Rob Garrison led all scorers with 20 points for Niagara and Villanova transfer Bilal Benn turned in a 19-point, 14-rebound double double, he also led his team with seven offensive boards.
Drexel got off to a fast start and led by nine points, 15-6, just over six minutes into the game. But the momentum turned in the Purple Eagles' favor when starting forward Leon Spencer picked up two quick fouls and found himself on the bench. Niagara went on a 17-3 run to pull ahead of the Dragons and closed the first half with a 14-4 to take a 42-30 lead into the locker room.
After Niagara knocked down a three-pointer to push its lead to 15 points early in the second half, Drexel used a thunderous swat by Leon Spencer to key a 12-4 run. Freshman Shannon Givens capped the spurt with a long three-pointer that trimmed Niagara's lead to 51-46 midway through the period.
The Purple Eagles capitlized on a pair of offensive rebounds to score nine straight points and pull out to a comfortable margin. The teams traded layups in the final five minutes until Gerald Colds drained his second three-pointer of the game at the 1:18 mark to make it a 68-64 Niagara lead and put his team in position for a late comeback.
This is the second year that the Dragons have participated in ESPN's 24-hour marathon of college men's and women's basketball. Last year Drexel defeated Penn at the DAC in a 10:00 a.m. game.
The Dragons will be back in action this Friday, Nov. 20 when they travel to play at Rutgers in the opening round of the Legends Classic.