Drexel Toughs Out a 53 – 52 Victory Over Hampton
PHILADELPHIA, PA 2/27/2025 –
The Drexel Dragons hosted the Hampton Pirates, coming in as the hottest team in the CAA. Drexel was also on a two-game winning streak. The trend is positive for the Dragons who made a late comeback, then made a big defensive play at the end to earn a 53 – 52 win at the DAC. Drexel and Hampton are tied in the league standings with an 8 – 9 record.
This was a close, grind it out, physical game. Drexel Coach Zach Spiker called it a CAA game. A win that required toughness and resilience on the part of the Dragons.
“We are a tough, gritty team,” said Drexel forward Cole Hargrove. “We play defense. That’s what our culture is based off. We play defense, we’re tough, we rebound. It’s great to see us fight back from a six point lead. I’m really proud of us for being able to fight back.”
The Ending of a Back and Forth Game
Drexel led for the entire first half. Hampton made it interesting hitting a halfcourt shot at the buzzer by Etienne Strothers to cut the lead to 30 – 27. The Pirates took control in the second half holding the Dragons to 4 points for nearly the first ten minutes of the latter stanza. The contest got close. Drexel trailed by five with 5:35 to play.
The Dragons got close on a layup by Jason Drake. The gap would be either 3 points or by 1 until the hosts took the final lead on two free throws by Yame Butler with 23.6 seconds on the clock.
The decision came down to a crucial Pirates possession near the end. Hampton got the ball to Noah Farrakhan, who scored a game-high 18 points. He probed the defense for an opening against Drexel guard Shane Blakeney. Farrakhan drove, the defense collapsed, Cole Hargrove blocked the lane. Farrakhan tried to drop the ball inside, but it went out of bounds. Hampton had one more try but a desperation heave by Farrakhan was well off the mark. The horn sounded, Drexel won.
“We know their players. They know our players,” said Spiker. “Everyone takes away actions, and then you got to go make a play.”
Drexel is on a three game winning streak going into the last regular season game.
“We’re not focused on going on a winning streak,” Hargrove said. “We’re focused on winning one game, and that’s the one in front of us, going 1 – 0 for Monmouth on Saturday. That’s going to be our goal. We’re trying to be the hottest team heading into this tournament.”
What the Numbers Say
Drake scored a team-high 15 points. Hargrove added 12 points and 9 rebounds, just missing a double-double. Drexel made 43.5% (20 of 46) from the floor, but was 1 – 9 from beyond the arc.
Hampton took 61 shots, 15 more than Drexel. The Pirates were good on 34.4% of their field goal attempts.
Up Next
Drexel improves to 16 – 14 and sit in a four-way tie for seventh place in the league. The final regular season game is Saturday against fifth place Monmouth. After is the conference tournament.
“I’m not worried about that right now,” Spiker said. “This is a team that’s been in a lot of close games. They haven’t gone our way as often as they have gone our way. Tonight, it went our way.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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