Drexel defeats rival Delaware, 77-74, in an overtime thriller at the DAC

This season for Drexel men’s basketball has revolved around defense. The Dragons entered Saturday’s home game vs. rival Delaware with the top-scoring defense in the Colonial Athletic Association and in the top 20 nationally.

But for stretches in the second half Saturday afternoon, Drexel couldn’t get stops. Jameer Nelson Jr. and Jyare Davis – two of the better scorers in the league – were doing what they normally do, and nearly secured a come-from-behind win for the Blue Hens.

In the end, though, Drexel got the stops it needed. Drexel center Amari Williams had two of his five blocks in the final minutes, part of an overtime session where Drexel held Delaware to one point, as the Dragons escaped with a 77-74 overtime win inside a packed Daskalakis Athletic Center on homecoming weekend.

The win moved Drexel (12-8, 6-2 CAA) into a tie for second place in the league with Towson and Hofstra.

Drexel was led by freshman Justin Moore’s 21 points. He also added five rebounds and three assists and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Luke House added 19 points and five rebounds, and Williams scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while collecting six rebounds to go with those five blocks.

Delaware got a career-high 28 points from Davis, who also had seven rebounds and three assists. Nelson, playing not far from his alma mater, the Haverford School, scored 21 points and also collected seven rebounds and three assists. Cavan Reilly made 5 of 8 three-point attempts for 15 points.

Nelson hit a few tough jump shots in the second half to keep the Blue Hens (11-10, 3-5) afloat, and with less than 30 seconds to go Nelson was going for the win, his team trailing by just a point. Nelson got a pick from Davis and drove into the lane. He went to his left, but Williams was waiting. He smacked the shot attempt off the backboard and into House’s hands.

“Defense is just something I have to do,” Williams said. “Offense isn’t always there. As a team, we’re great defensively. I think that’s the big thing we just work on.”

“I could watch all of them,” Dragons coach Zach Spiker said. “I never get tired of seeing his blocks. Five blocks? It’s probably times four the amount he altered.”

This one had 15 lead changes, eight after halftime. Drexel had a 39-31 lead at the break, but Delaware stormed back behind its two top scorers.

The lead was never larger than nine.

And when Reilly, a freshman, drilled a wing three with two minutes to play, it was Delaware’s first lead since the 10:13 mark of the first half.

“There were a lot of shot-makers in this game,” Spiker said. “They put you in some spots. They also threw a pick-and-roll between someone’s legs. When we had perfect coverage, they had perfect plays. A lot of good offense there.”

The teams traded baskets after Reilly’s triple. House immediately answered with a basket, and Nelson responded at the other end.

In the overtime session, Delaware got the first points 17 seconds in on a Davis free throw, but the Blue Hens didn’t score again. Williams gave Drexel the lead for good on a jump shot with a little more than three minutes to play, and House helped seal the game after Williams’ second clutch block with a pair of free throws.

It was homecoming at Drexel, and the gym was rocking for most of the second half. Drexel announced a crowd of 2,407. Most of the seats were full.

“What a crowd. What a great basketball game,” Spiker said. “I was glad it was on TV for people to see the DAC rocking and this product. I couldn’t be more proud of this basketball program and our team and how we responded to adversity today.”

Drexel hits the road this week for North Carolina. The Dragons play at North Carolina A&T Thursday at 7 p.m. before taking on Elon, which entered the weekend winless in the CAA, Saturday at 4 p.m.