PHILADELPHIA – The Northeastern men's basketball team (6-14, 2-7) trimmed a 17-point deficit down to three points in the final minute of regulation, but could not complete the comeback as Drexel (10-11, 4-4) escaped with an 83-78 win on Saturday afternoon at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
 
Northeastern, which shot 47% overall in the game, hit seven of their final nine shots to fight back into the contest while forcing the Dragons to the line late in the game. Drexel would miss six free throws in the last minute to help NU claw within a possession before hitting its last two with four seconds left to ice it.
 
Xavier Abreu led the Huskies for the second straight game and fifth time this season with 19 points on 6-of-13 from the field and a career-high seven rebounds. He was joined in double figures by Luca Soroa Schaller (15 points) and William Kermoury (14 points) as the Huskies finished 29-of-62 from the floor and 8-of-23 from long range.
 
Drexel, meanwhile, was paced by 22 points from Josh Reed as one of four Dragons in double figures. They finished the day 50% overall and 6-of-20 from distance.
 
It was a back-and-forth battle through the opening eight minutes of the first half before a 12-0 Drexel run midway through put the Dragons in control, taking a 33-28 lead at the break. Garfield Turner led the way with 10 points on 4-of-4 from the floor as Drexel shot 48% overall.
 
Northeastern hung tough, though, rebounding from the Dragons spurt to go on a 10-2 run of its own to climb back in it. The Huskies, who opened the game with eight straight paint points, got its outside shooting going late with four straight triples, led by two from Kermoury.
 
Abreu led the way with 11 points in the first half for a Northeastern team that was 11-of-26 overall.
 
An Abreu jumper early into the second half made it a one-possession game with 14:51 to play, but the Dragons would respond with a 12-2 run over the next 3:25 to go up 49-36 with 10:58 left.
 
Drexel would maintain its double-digit lead over most of the next 10 minutes of play before Northeastern hit six of its last seven shots, including three-pointers from Soroa Schaller (two), JB Frankel and Ryan Williams, while the Dragons went 8-of-14 at the line in the final 1:11 to help the Huskies climb within three points at 81-78 with six seconds left before a pair of Drexel free throws on the next possession put the game out of reach.
 
The Huskies will be back in action on Saturday when Northeastern hosts College of Charleston. Tip-off at the Cabot Center is set for 2 p.m. on NESN and FloCollege.