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The Opponent: Drexel Dragons (10-18, 8-9 CAA)
Coach: Bruiser Flint
The Skinny: The Dragons are, as always, a tough defensive team. Drexel is tops in the CAA in scoring defense (64.6 points per game allowed) and pull down about 35 rebounds per game. The Dragons problems are on the offensive end, where they shoot only 38% from the floor and score only 59 points per game. They have suffered recently from the loss of Lee and Mohica and have only dressed 7 players.
The Series: This will be the 30th game in the series between William and Mary and Drexel ... The Dragons lead the overall series,
17-12, and are 14-9 against W&M since joining the CAA. The Tribe has won the last three games against the Dragons, including a 73-47 beatdown in Philly in January.
Last time out: The Dragons were soundly beaten by Delaware, in a 58-44 loss at home. Senior guard Freddie Wilson led the Dragons with 12 points, while Rashann London and Mohamed Bah each added 11 points. The Dragons have been reduced to only 7 scholarship players after the loss of star Damian Lee and forward Sammy Mojica to injuries in the past week.
The Players:
• Junior
Damion Lee is out for the season after suffering a fractured hand at NU. He averaged 28.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg last week, including 30 points at NU. Lee, who tops the CAA in scoring (21.4 ppg), had tallied double digits in 24 straight games, had 14 games with 20+ points and four with 30+ points.
• Freshman
Sammy Mojica was 6-of-10 from 3-point range last week and averaged 10.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.5 rpg and 3.0 spg. He injured his knee and is also now out for the season.
• 6’3” Senior G
Freddie Wilson made 4-of-5 treys and tied a career high with 16 points in just 10 minutes off the bench at JMU. Now starting, he had a game high 12 vs. Delaware.
• 6’7” Junior F
Tavon Allen scored 14 points at NU and has hit double figures in 8 of his last 12 games. He played 40 minutes against Delaware (as did Wilson and London).
• 6’9” Freshman F
Mohamed Bah was 5-of-7 from the floor last game and shoots 53% from the field. He also shoots 80% from the free throw line.
Dragon Tails:
• Drexel was 27-of-34 at the FT line last week and is 120-of-149 (82%) over the past nine games. Drexel is shooting a league-best 74.7% for the season.
• Drexel has committed only 36 turnovers in the last five games (7.2 tpg).
Tribe Disa & Data:
• Senior
Marcus Thornton averaged 20.0 ppg and 4.5 apg last week and reached double figures for the 34th straight game. He’s 11th on the CAA’s career scoring list (2,062 pts) and is also 6th in CAA history with 301 career 3’s and is averaging 19.3 ppg on the season.
• Junior
Terry Tarpey averaged 19.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.0 apg and 3.5 spg last week while shooting 63.2% from the floor and 6-of-7 from three. He tops the CAA in rebounds, ranks 7th in assists, 1st in steals and 1st in blocks. He’s scored double digits in 13 of 17 CAA games. He is averaging 12.0 points, 8.3 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.8 steals per game and has eight double-doubles this season.
• Sophomore
Omar Prewitt has 32 steals and 23 blocks on the season , second high on the team in both categories. He is averaging 13.1 ppg and 4.1 rpg.
• Freshman
Greg Malinowksi hit 7-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-7 from 3 last week and averaged 10.0 ppg and was named CAA Rookie of the Week. He is averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rpg.
• W&M hit double-digit 3-pointers for the 12th time this season at NU, but has not reached that level since.
• The Tribe has scored at least 70 points in 14 of its 17 CAA contests this year.
The Broadcast: Countdown to Tipoff begins at
1:30 PM along the network,
http://tideradio.com/home/listen-live/ , and
http://www.tribeathletics.com . Join Wes, Charlie and I for the radio coverage (
my final pre-game). Be sure to tune in for Tony's pre-game thoughts and our scouting report.
Final Thoughts: This is Senior Day and CAA Championship Day. That should be sufficient motivation to keep the intensity up all game. The Dragons are playing with a severely depleted roster, including their star Damion Lee. The key will, again, be a fast start and not giving the young Dragons any reason for hope. If so, the game should be over by half-time.
Go Tribe!!
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PREVIEW: Game 29 W&M vs. Drexel - Senior Day
