Drexel losing streak at six after defeat by Elon

Jack Anton saw his Elon teammate stumble while driving to the hoop, so the freshman grabbed the loose ball, stepped behind the arc, and drilled an uncontested three-pointer.

The closest Drexel players to him wore street clothes and walking boots and sported crutches at the end of the bench.

Drexel was battered, 77-67, Saturday at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in the Phoenix' debut game in the Colonial Athletic Association, the league opener for both teams and the hobbled Dragons' sixth consecutive defeat. That ties the longest run of futility in Bruiser Flint's 14 seasons as coach.

Flint smiled and shrugged. Drexel (2-10) has eight healthy players, including four freshmen, and is without three starters. Two are out for the season.

"It's not like I can change our lineup up and start switching things around," he said. "We've got eight players. It's a little bit different when you ain't got no guys."

Damion Lee had 29 points, six rebounds, and six assists to pace Drexel, which hasn't won since November. Rashann London finished with 15 points and six rebounds. Tavon Allen added 14 points.

Freshman Elijah Bryant provided 32 points and seven rebounds to lead Elon (9-5), formerly a member of the Southern Conference, to its fourth consecutive victory. The Phoenix, who lost their leading scorer to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in December, hit 10 of 15 shots from three-point range in the first half and 11 of 20 in the game.

"When we needed to make a play, we didn't. That's the bottom line," Flint said. "A little bit of it is with the youth - those guys think they're still in high school at times, and they think, 'Well, I'm just going to go down and make a play.' Yo, you're not at that level anymore. Those days are over.

"Plus, honestly, we get tired," he said. "We don't have that many guys. If we had all juniors and seniors, we'd be fine. They can handle it. You've got freshmen. Once they get tired, mentally, they might as well not even be on the court."