Drexel takes down Georgia State

There was no need for a half-court heave on Saturday. Drexel's defense made certain it wouldn't come to that again.

The Dragons gave their best defensive performance of the season in a 68-57 win over Georgia State at the Daskalakis Center.

Drexel's latest victory isn't likely to make any national highlight reels - as did their previous win, a 55-52 defeat of Hofstra on Frantz Massenat's 50-foot buzzer-beater.

But for a team trying to overcome a poor start by grinding out conference wins, it may end up being more important because of how it was accomplished.

The Dragons (8-11, 4-3 CAA) held previously red-hot Georgia State to 27 percent shooting (13 for 47). The Panthers (10-12, 5-4) had won four straight, averaging more than 73 points per game.

"We wanted them to shoot twos," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. "They have been absolutely on fire of late. So we wanted to get them off the three-point line."

Georgia State made just one two-point field goal in the first 28 minutes.

Damion Lee led Drexel with 20 points, including back-to-back treys, to give Drexel a 54-42 advantage with a little more than 6 minutes left, after Georgia State had cut Drexel's lead to as little as three.

Massenat scored 15 points.

Derrick Thomas, coming off the bench for the first time this season because of illness, added 14. With Lee, he put a lid on freshman R.J. Hunter, Georgia State's leading scorer. Hunter didn't have a field goal until late in the second and finished with eight points.

Drexel has won three in a row.

"We've played good defense and gave ourselves a chance," Flint said. "We still don't have the greatest record in the world, and we still haven't played outstanding basketball."

Contact Tim McManus at tmcmanus@philly.com. Follow on Twitter @ByTimMcManus. [p