Drexel’s run at a CAA crown ends in a 73-68 quarterfinal loss to UNC Wilmington

After leading by as many as 12 in the second half, No. 5 Drexel’s season ended in a 73-68 loss to No. 4 UNC Wilmington in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament quarterfinals.

Freshman guard Justin Moore led Drexel with 16 points off the bench. Amari Williams and Luke House each added 13.

UNC Wilmington was led by 19 points off the bench from Nick Farrar. Trazarien White (14 points), Jamarii Thomas (11 points), and Donovan Newby (10 points) all scored in double figures for the Seahawks.

» READ MORE: Here’s how Drexel’s Yame Butler seized his moment by making sure ‘every minute counts’

After UNC Wilmington jumped to an 8-point lead, Drexel closed the half on a 33-21 run to take a 38-34 lead at the break. Both teams went 14-for-23 from the field in the first half, the only difference was Drexel made two more threes and two more free throws.

The Dragons opened the second half on a 9-2 run, giving them a double-digit lead, and at multiple points, the Dragons led by as much as 12. But about eight minutes into the second half, the Seahawks went on a 16-0 run to give them a four-point lead.

In the first half, guard Yame Butler left with a leg injury and came out of halftime on crutches with a boot on his right leg. Over the final month of the season, Butler had played a big role for the Dragons, and after the game head coach Zach Spiker said watching him get hurt was “gut wrenching to see.”

Drexel tied things up with over 6 minutes remaining, but the Seahawks then scored seven straight to separate themselves.

After shooting 60.9% from the field in the first half, the Dragons made just 37% of their shots in the second half. In the second half, Drexel shot just 7-for-14 from the free-throw line. UNC Wilmington shot 54.9% throughout.

“They hit shots,” Spiker said about the run. “I thought we had some quality looks at that time, some stuff at the rim, didn’t go in. Maybe a free throw or two didn’t go in. ... Credit goes to them.”

With Drexel leading by 12 in the second half, UNC Wilmington went on a 16-0 run, going 9-for-12 from the field.

During the spurt, Farrar scored 10 of the team’s first 12 points, including the first seven. The run came to an end when Moore made 1 of 2 free throws for Drexel.

Drexel has a pretty young team, with only two seniors and one fifth-year on the roster. The Dragons could return back-to-back CAA Defensive Player of the Year Amari Williams. The junior center entered Sunday’s game tied for 13th in college basketball with 2.31 blocks per game and was an All-CAA First Team.

“When you got a coach behind you like that, letting you be willing to make plays, make mistakes, that’s a lot of opportunities that a lot of other freshmen in the country don’t get like me,” Moore said. “So I’m able to just learn and grow through that. And it just prepared me for next year. I feel like we’ll be even better next year.”