NIT Quarterfinals: UMass Ends Drexel’s Home Streak, 72-70
By Brian Spaen
Massachusetts becomes the fourth team in NIT history to win three road games and make it to the NIT semifinals, shocking the Drexel Dragons 72-70 and giving them their first loss of the season at home. The Dragons had a 17 point lead early in the second half.
The Minutemen’s star point guard, Chaz Williams, finished with 20 points and four assists. The star of the game, Terrell Vinson, led the comeback with 14 of his 18 points in the second half.
Drexel’s stars were starting forward Samme Givens giving the crowd something to cheer for early and Dartaye Ruffin keeping the Dragons in the lead in the first half. Givens finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, as Ruffin finished with 17 points. Combined, 27 of their 29 total points were scored in the first half.
Drexel’s Frank Massenat finished at 16 points and nine assists, but will look back at his disappointing 6-12 from the free throw line. He has been 80 percent on free throws during the season.
The Dragons fed off of the home crowd early, kicking the game in gear with a 9-0 start. During this time, it made Massachusetts’ head coach Derek Kellogg to slap his clipboard to the ground as he stared down his players. It gave Drexel another point, as a technical foul was called for unsportsmanlike conduct on the coach.
Massachusetts was able to stick around for the remainder of the half, but couldn’t really make a dent into the early lead. Drexel had a 41-31 lead going into the break, thanks to outrebounding the Minutemen 17-8 which lead to more second chance points. Neither team hit a three-point shot yet.
That changed in the second half when Chris Fouch for the Dragons hit the very first one to make it 50-36 early in the period. Eventually the Dragons’ largest margin would be at 17 points.
The Minutemen’s run would begin, helped by Williams’ two three-point buckets and a few turnovers committed by the Dragons. It was a 26-7 run when Jesse Morgan hit a three-point shot for Massachusetts to take the lead 62-60 with about seven minutes to go. At this time, Drexel elected to bring back Givens in the game.
In a tightly contested finish, Williams couldn’t hit the front end of a one-and-one when the Minutemen had a 72-70. With 15.7 seconds to go, the Dragons had a chance to tie but Frantz Massenat misses the jumper and Fouch’s rebound was too far out to give them a chance to win.
A touching moment was seen at the finish when Drexel’s head coach Bruiser Flint hugged Kellogg at the end of the game. Both coaches are close friends as Flint was an assistant coach under John Calipari at Massachusetts. Kellogg was the point guard of the 95-96 NCAA Final Four team.
Massachusetts will head to Madison Square Garden in New York City next week as the first representative of the NIT Final Four. Drexel will finish the season with a CAA regular season championship and an impressive 15-1 record at home.
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