Dragons Luke House Ties a Career-Scoring High
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1/4/2024 –
An exciting early season match up in the CAA. The Drexel Dragons came in atop the league in defensive statistics. The top rated offensive numbers belonged to the UNCW Seahawks. Strength vs. strength. Tip the ball and see who is better.
The challenge went to the Dragons who held the Seahawks well under their season average by 23 points. Drexel exceeded their offensive average output. The result? A 78 – 63 win for the Dragons at the DAC. Luke House headed the Drexel offense scoring a career-high tying 25 points. A significant win on the home court.
House Holds the Offense
In the Drexel offense any player can have a big game any day. In this game it was House who broke out. He made 9 of 12 field goal attempts and drained 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. His five drained triples tied his collegiate-best. House added 2 free throws and took down 4 rebounds. At halftime he made all 4 of his three-pointers. Different contributors in different games make the offense hard to defend.
“I think we’re very effective because it can be anybody on any night,” said House. “Coach always says sometimes you, sometimes me, but it’s always us. We have plenty of guys who can score and contribute.”
“I just had some open shots early. Justin (Moore) and Amari (Williams) made some good passes so I got some clean looks and I think we took advantage of our size inside.”
Defense Holds Their Ground
Drexel held the opponent to 31% shooting (18 of 58) and just 20% from the three-point line (6 of 30). The 31% shooting was the second lowest percentage of the season for UNCW, just over their .306 percentage in the App State game. Despite the numbers Spiker felt the defense could have been better, especially in the first half.
“I didn’t think it was great in the first half,” said Drexel Coach Zach Spiker. “I thought their three point looks were pretty clean. I thought the second half was better. They went 1 for 13 from three. Maybe that’s on the road. Maybe they were heavily contested. We’re very happy to get the win at home. We’ve been a good defensive team for the most part.”
Key Run of the Game
Coming out at halftime UNCW tied the game at 36 on a basket by Donovan Newby. Drexel answered with a 3-ball by House which started a 15 – 4 run giving the Dragons a 51 – 40 lead at the 13:11 mark. In this critical stretch the Seahawks made just 1 of 11 shots in just under 7 minutes.
What the Numbers Say
There were a total of 53 free throws taken as 45 fouls were called. Drexel made 19 of 29 while the Seahawks were 21 of 24. UNCW had more made free throws than field goals (18).
Two other Dragons scored in double figures. Amari Williams contributed 17 points making 5 of 7 field goal attempts and 7 of 12 free throws.
Justin Moore added 11 points and took down 7 caroms. He handed out a season-high 7 assists.
“Justin flirts with a tripe-double and I still think he can play better,” Spike said about Moore’s effort. “I think we’ll continue to see Justin continue to evolve and grow. I thought he did a pretty god job of finding open shooters.”
Trazarien White scored 19 points to lead the Seahawks. Newby added 16 points, and KJ Jenkins put in 11 points. Both White and Newby were successful on 7 free throws.
Up Next
Drexel (9 – 6, 2 – 0) sits atop the CAA standings in this early part of the league schedule. UNCW drops to 9 – 4 and 0 – 1 in conference. Drexel goes on the road next for a Saturday game at William & Mary. It is league games the rest of the way, and the difficult part of the challenge is to be ready.
“Every game in this CAA you better come ready to play or you’re cooked. I have no idea of what the scores were tonight around the league, but nothing will surprise me,” Spiker said. “We’ve got a split weekend. We’re home tonight. We’re on the road on Saturday in Williamsburg. Move on to the next one.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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