PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Lafayette dropped a 64-56 road matchup on Wednesday night against CAA foe Drexel.
Leading the way for the Leopards was sophomore captain CJ Fulton and junior Kyle Jenkins. Fulton finished the evening with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jenkins had a similar performance, tallying 12 points to go along with three rebounds.
The game was tightly contested throughout the first half in a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than six points. The Leopards opened the game a perfect 8-for-8 from the field before missing a shot.
Sophomore Justin Vander Baan scored all eight of his points in the first half, six coming within the first five minutes. Lafayette was hot from the floor, shooting 59.1 percent in the first half. The Maroon and White led by as many as seven points, 21-14, at 11:38, but still faced a one-point deficit going into halftime, 30-29.
Drexel started the second half strong with a 10-2 run that gave the Dragons a 40-31 lead with 14:32 remaining. After a couple back and forth possessions the Dragons put together another 9-0 run at 10:48 to take a 16-point lead, their largest of the night.
The Leopards were not done, however, as Fulton, TJ Berger, and Leo O'Boyle all hit 3-pointers to cut the margin to six points, 55-49, with 3:51 remaining.
Drexel held onto that lead, missing only one free throw during crunch time, to take home a 64-56 win. Coletrane Washington and Lamar Oden knocked down two apiece in the final 30 seconds of play.
The Dragons shot 49.1 percent from the field and 7-of-8 from the line. Washington (18), Amari Williams (16) and Oden (17) scored in double figures for Drexel.
For the game, the Leopards shooting night cooled in the second half (39%) while shooting 48 percent overall. The Maroon and White took care of the ball, surrendering a season-low seven turnovers.
Lafayette will stay on the road to face Cornell on Sunday for a 1 p.m. tip.
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @lafayettembb and Instagram @lafayettembb.
