Drexel squanders big lead, falls in CAA tournament

A 12-point, second-half lead wasn’t enough to keep Drexel alive in the CAA tournament.

Fourth-seeded North Carolina-Wilmington rallied from that deficit for a 73-68 quarterfinal victory over the fifth-seeded Dragons Sunday.

The win sends the Seahawks (23-9) into the semifinals against topseeded Hofstra Monday evening (6 p.m.) Hofsta rolled over William & Mary, 94-48.

Nick Farrar scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the final 15 minutes of the second half to help the Sehawks erase a 50-38 deficit. UNCW used a 7-0 run to break a 64-64 deadlock and take the lead for good. Trazarien White added 14 points and eight rebounds.

Justin Moore topped Drexel (17-15) with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Luke House (Archbishop Carroll All-Delco) added 13 points.

The Owls erased a 16-point, second-half deficit and took an 82-81 lead on Damian Dunn’s 3-pointer with 33

TULANE 83, TEMPLE 82 »

seconds left but R.J. Magee hit a pair of free throws 19 seconds later to give the Green Wave the victory in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The Owls (16-15, 10-8 American Athletic) finished fifth in the league and will take on fourth-seeded Cincinnati in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament Friday at 3 p.m. at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Thirdseeded Tulane (19-10, 126) faces the winner of the game between No. 11 Tulsa and No. 6 Wichita State at 9 p.m. Friday.

Dunn scored 16 of hits 21 points in the second half as the Owls stormed back from a pair of 16-point deficits in the second half to take the lead on his 3-pointer. McGee was fouled with 14 seconds left and hit both free throws to put the Green Wave back in front. Jahlil White had a chance to win it for Temple but his shot with one second left was off the mark.

Jamille Reynolds added 17 points. White finished with 14, Zach Hicks 13 and Nick Jourdain 10 for Temple.