Sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) scored all 10 of his points in the second half but it wasn't enough as Drexel led wire-to-wire in defeating the Pride, 63-56, in Hofstra's CAA home opener Saturday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.
Dane Johnson (Brooklyn, NY) notched his fourth career double-double, scoring 10 points and adding 10 rebounds, yet couldn't prevent the Pride from dropping to 1-1 in the conference and 9-4 overall.
Drexel's Scott Rodgers poured in a game-high 25 points and Jamie Harris added 14 points to help the Dragons improve to 1-1 in the CAA and 5-6 overall with their third straight win.
Junior guard Cornelius Vines (Syracuse, NY - pictured) led Hofstra with 14 points, all coming in the second half. Jenkins' streak of double-figure scoring looked to be in jeopardy after the guard was shut-out in the first half. But the Pride's leading scorer also came on strong in the second half before fouling out with 3:54 left in the contest.
Jenkins extended his streak of consecutive games in double figures to 28 straight, though his point total was his lowest this season. Both teams as a whole struggled to score, with each school shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
Drexel led 24-18 after a defensive first half, and Rodgers extended the lead by drilling a three-point from the right elbow 2:03 into the half. Rodgers scored another three points in less conventional fashion almost two minutes later when Evan Neisler stole the ball in the Hofstra end and hit Rodgers with a long pass that resulted in a three-point play following a layup and foul by Jenkins, giving the Dragons a 32-20 lead with 16:23 remaining.
Johnson's jump hook shoot along the baseline cut the deficit to 38-34 at 10 minute mark. But Drexel reeled off the next nine points, capped by Gerald Colds' four free throws on two straight possessions to extend the Dragons lead to 47-34 with 7:21 left.
Vines provided Hofstra with its last chance at a comeback, scoring eight points in three minutes. Vines hit a three-ball from the right wing, followed that up with a driving layup and then connected on another three during the next possession to cut Drexel's edge to 56-51 with 1:15 on the clock.
Rodgers answered by hitting a jumper late in the shot clock and Harris hit two free throws following Lester's last basket to provide a 58-51 Drexel cushion.
The Dragons established the pace to start the contest and Hofstra struggled to put points on the board. Jenkins picked up his second foul barely five minutes into the game. The Pride guard did not record a point in the first half.
Rodgers hit a three-pointer from the top of the key while Vines fouled him, completing a four-point play to make it 9-2 Drexel. It marked one of Rogers' trio of three-pointers in the opening minutes of the half, helping the Dragons take a 14-4 lead.
Despite Johnson's six points off the bench, the Pride still shot just 24 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes but only trailed, 24-18, heading into the locker room thanks to a defense that held Drexel to 9-30 shooting. Sophomore forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) led the way on the defensive end, hauling in five rebounds while blocking three shots in the period. Washington finished with 10 rebounds overall.
Hofstra will be back in action Monday when it hits the road to take on Northeastern. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m