City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin  (@jmverlin)
--

Drexel traveled across the country in search of its first win and was denied, falling 85-66 to UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals of the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage on Thanksgiving eve.

At First...
UNC Asheville (2-3) missed its first shot attempt but made its next five, opening up a 12-0 lead before five minutes had ticked off the clock. The rest of the first half was largely in Drexel's favor, as the Dragons (0-4) rallied back to take a 38-34 lead at the break behind a dozen points from Sammy Mojica off the bench.

Turning Point...
The start of the second half went much like the start of the first, as the Bulldogs opened up on a 17-4 run to turn that four-point deficit into a nine-point lead with 13 minutes remaining.

Things really fell apart for the Dragons a few minutes later. After Drexel closed within six points at the 10:39 mark, UNC Ashville responded with 10 straight points to take its largest lead of the night to that point, 66-50, and were never seriously threatened again.

Standout Stars...
Drexel freshman Terrell Allen set a new career mark with 19 points, topping the 18 he had in his debut against St. Joe's two weeks back. The 6-2 point guard from DeMatha (Md.) consistently showed off his ability to get into the lane, and he did a great job of using the glass to get his shot into the bucket; he also added six assists against just one turnover. Mojica finished with 16 points, three assists and a technical foul during Asheville's second-half run that sent him to the bench for an extended stay.

UNC Asheville had four players in double figures, led by forward Sam Hughes (18 points), guards Ahmad Thomas and Dwayne Sutton each had 14.

Noteworthy Numbers...
Drexel committed 27 fouls, sending UNC Asheville to the foul line 36 times; the Bulldogs made 26 free throws, a 72.2 percent clip. The Dragons, who came into the game shooting under 59 percent from the foul stripe, connected on 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) for their best such performance of the season.

Up Next...
Drexel (0-4) vs. Alaska-Anchorage (6-3) (Nov. 27, 6 PM)
UNC Asheville (2-3) vs. Middle Tennessee (2-1) (Nov. 27, Midnight)