Boxscore

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Samme Givens scored a career-high 19 points while Jamie Harris added 14 as the Drexel men’s basketball team held off the University of Delaware, 79-69, Tuesday night at the Daskalakis Center.

Drexel, which won its fourth straight game to improve to 9-8 overall and 5-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association, also got 11 points and nine rebounds from Leon Spencer while Scott Rodgers added 10 points.

Alphonso Dawson (at right) scored a game-high 20 points, his seventh 20-point game of the season, and added seven rebounds for the Blue Hens, who fell to 8-12 overall and 2-6 in league play. Marc Egerson contributed 14 points and a team-best nine boards, while Jawan Carter was the third UD player in double figures with 10 points. Brian Johnson chipped in eight points and a game-high eight assists to move into fifth place on the UD career assists chart.

After trailing by eight points at the half, Delaware chipped away at the Dragons’ lead and eventually pulled within 50-49 on a jumper in the lane by Johnson with 8:28 remaining.

Drexel was still up only a point after each team hit two free throws, but Givens drained consecutive buckets to put the Dragons ahead 56-51 with 5:22 left. A Dawson jumper again made it a three-point game, but Tramayne Hawthorne nailed a three-pointer and Givens added a jumper to make it 63-55 with 3:28 remaining.

A Dawson three-pointer cut the Drexel lead to 66-60 with 1:54 to play, but Rodgers answered with a three-point play and the Blue Hens would not get closer.

“We didn’t make the plays we needed to win the game,” third-year Delaware head coach Monté Ross said. “We got some quality stops, but their offensive rebounding really hurt us tonight.”

Neither team could jump out to a big first half lead early on, and Delaware took a 24-23 advantage on a D.J. Boney three-pointer with 5:37 on the clock. However Drexel scored 10 straight points, taking a 33-24 lead with 1:39 remaining in half on a Hawthorne layup. Egerson hit a free throw with 1:19 left to conclude the first half scoring, as the Dragons took a 33-25 advantage into the break.

Delaware scored the first five points of the second half, and consecutive dunks by Jim Ledsome cut the Drexel advantage to 39-36 with 16 minutes to play. The Blue Hens then twice pulled within two, the second time at 45-43 with 13:23 remaining on a pair of Carter free throws.

Drexel answered to go back up 50-45, but Boney drained two free throws and Johnson hit jumper to bring UD within a point.

The Blue Hens shot 44.4 percent from the field, went 18 of 21 from the free throw line, and committed just nine turnovers. However Delaware was hurt by the Dragons’ 15 offensive rebounds, and Drexel shot 45.8 percent from the floor while committing only seven turnovers.