Box Score

             PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Derek Needham scored 18 points, including 12 in the second half, as the Fairfield University men's basketball team dropped a 77-69 decision to Drexel University. Needham was one of four Fairfield players in double figures, but it was Samme Givens' career-high 31 points for the Dragons that was the difference in this game.

                Drexel jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of free throws on its opening possession, but the Stags rattled off eight points in a row to take the lead at 8-2. Derek Needham and Rakim Sanders each hit a three pointer in the spurt. Still trailing by six points at 12-6, Drexel cut the lead in half when Samme Givens converted a traditional three-point play that made the score 12-9 with 15:33 left in the half.

                The Stags would score the next five points to build their biggest lead to that point at 17-9 after Maurice Barrow's hook and Ryan Olander's three pointer pushed the edge to eight points. The Dragons answered with nine straight points to regain the lead at 18-17 when a steal led to Frantz Massenar's driving layup at the 9:17 mark. The run reached 14 straight points when Chris Fousch converted a pair of free throws following a technical foul and finished the possession with a three-point field goal on the ensuing field goal, kicking the lead to 23-17 with 8:38 remaining.

                The Dragons continued to build on its lead, reaching double figures at 27-17 with 6:29 on the clock. Sanders stopped an eight-minute scoring drought for Fairfield when he converted two free throws at the 6:12 mark, making the score 27-19. A steal by Sanders led to another Needham three pointer which cut the deficit in half at 27-22. Damion Lee answered with a three pointer for Drexel, but Sanders responded with a three-point play that pulled the Stags back to five at 30-25.

                The five point lead would remain intact at halftime as the Dragons went into the locker room with a 38-33 lead.  The Stags would pull within four points in the opening minute of the second half after Olander netted his second three pointer of the game, making the score 40-36. Once again, Drexel put together a string of points, this time a 7-0 run that gave the home team its biggest lead at 47-36 with 15:24 remaining.

                Coming out of a time out, Olander stopped the Drexel run with his third three pointer of the game and second of the half, pulling his team within eight points at 47-39. The Stags would get back within five points on a couple of occasions, including a 52-47 deficit after Desmond Wade's driving layup at the 12:14 mark. Wade's hoop was the first basket scored by someone other than Olander in the half, as the center tallied the first 10 Fairfield points of the half.

                Givens rebuilt the lead to 10 points when he scored with a jumper and added a three-point play on another possession, giving the Dragons a 57-47 advantage with 10 minutes remaining. Drexel would open up a 15-point lead after Ruffin made a pair of free throws to extend the score to 66-51 at the 5:39 mark.

                Fairfield whittled away at the lead and dropped it below double digits when Sean Crawford converted a three-point play for a 70-61 advantage. A steal on the next possession led to a breakaway layup by Needham that made the score 70-63 with 1:30 on the clock. The lead fell to four points when Needham knocked down a three pointer with 53 seconds remaining, pulling the Stags within 70-66.

                Massenar ended the Stags comeback attempt with a driving layup with 23 seconds left. After a Fairfield turnover on the next possession, Daryl McCoy went to the line and converted both free throws to  make it an eight-point lead at 74-66 with 15 seconds left.

                Sanders finished the game with 17 points, while Olander added 15 points for the Stags. Barrow also reached double digits with 12 markers.