Box Score

Junior forward Samme Givens and sophomore guard Chris Fouch scored 17 points each to lead Drexel to a 72-58 win over Northeastern in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. Sophomore guard Joel Smith matched his career high with 19 points, shooting 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, to lead the Huskies.

Smith's six treys were the most by a Husky since Chaisson Allen hit six against George Mason on Jan. 7, 2010. Smith also dished a career-high five assists for the Huskies (4-15, 0-8 CAA), while sophomore Dinko Marshavelski chipped in 12 points and a career-best six rebounds.

Senior guard Gerald Colds contributed 12 points to the winning effort for the Dragons (12-6, 4-4) and freshman foward Dartaye Ruffin grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Dragons raced out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back, with Givens responsible for six of the first nine points. That lead grew to 17-3 after Fouch drained a three with 11:35 to go in the first half.

Smith hit back-to-back threes as the Huskies closed the gap to five with an 11-2 run, bringing the Drexel lead down to 22-17 with 6:58 to go in the first half, but the Dragons closed the half on a 12-4 run to build a 34-21 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Dragons continued to pull away, taking their largest lead of the afternoon with 8:19 to go when a pair of Givens free throws made the score 57-36.

Northeastern got back within 12 when Smith hit another three with 2:12 to go to make it 70-58, but that was the last bucket for the Huskies as the Dragons held off Northeastern in the final minutes.

The Dragons held a 38-23 advantage on the boards and a 32-22 lead in points in the paint. Northeastern shot 40 percent (20-of-50) from the field while Drexel sunk 46.9 percent (23-of-49) of its field goal attempts.

The Huskies return to Matthews Arena on Monday to host William & Mary at 7 p.m. for a rematch of last season's CAA semifinals. The game will air live on GoNU.tv and on HuskyCable Channel 81.