Dragons avenge their latest defeat

FRANTZ MASSENAT had revenge on his mind when Drexel faced off against Georgia State for the second time this season.

"At their house, they beat us bad," said Massenat, a sophomore guard. "Our coaches told us they've been talking junk. They circle our game every year, so right from the start, we wanted to come out, and not just play hard, but blow them out."

Massenat and the Dragons did just that by routing Georgia State, 68-46, last night at Daskalakis Athletic Center for their eighth consecutive victory since their 14-point loss to the Panthers on Jan. 2.

Drexel was plagued by sloppy play in the first meeting, turning the ball over 25 times, but last night was a different story. The Dragons gave the ball away just 11 times and shot 42.3 percent from the floor.

"We handled their pressure a lot better," said Massenat, who had 13 points, six assists and three steals for the Dragons. "I was able to set up our guys under pressure, and the other guards handled it well, too. Our game plan was better this time."

Junior guard Chris Fouch came off the bench to lead Drexel with 15 points, and forward Samme Givens, the team's lone senior, contributed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Givens dominated in the post for much of the second half and tallied three blocks.

"[Givens] played well tonight, and he's really has been playing well lately," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. "I think he realizes that we can do some things with other guys on the team without forcing it. We have some more options with other guys around the post."

Drexel led by nine points at halftime, and Georgia State came out flat in the second half. Overwhelmed by a suffocating Drexel defense, the Panthers managed to score just three points in the first 12 minutes of the half. Georgia State shot a dismal 25 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from the free throw line in the second half.

"I thought we just shot ourselves in the foot," Georgia State coach Ron Hunter said. "I told our guys to get ready to play here. I told them there's no way [Drexel] wants to go 0-2 against us."

Jihad Ali paced Georgia State with 17 points, and Eric Buckner chipped in six rebounds and five blocks.

Meanwhile, Dartaye Ruffin contributed nine points and eight rebounds for Drexel, and Derrick Thomas had six points and four assists.

Drexel moved to 16-5 overall and 8-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association with last night's convincing win over the Panthers (14-7, 6-4). The Dragons have won 14 of their last 15 games and are arguably Philadelphia's hottest team.

"Nobody thinks we should be as good as the other teams in the city. I get that," Flint said. "But our conference is just as good as the Atlantic 10, and in order for us to be a good team in the CAA, we should be able to beat the other teams in the city."

Flint clearly has confidence in his talented, young team. He believes it can more than compete against Philly's elite programs despite what others might think.

"It's fuel for the fire," Flint said. "I think we're the best team in Philly. I think we can beat anybody in the city."