James Madison shuts down shorthanded Drexel

Drexel's injury list has grown so long that the Dragons had only eight healthy players available Thursday night for their 54-35 loss to James Madison. On the bright side, Bruiser Flint's funny bone still seems to be OK.

"Did you all watch it?" the coach said, laughing, when asked what went wrong. "I know you all watched the game. The only thing is you don't have to watch it again like I do."

Drexel made just 24 percent of its shots from the floor and lost for the ninth time in 10 games. Damion Lee led the Dragons with 14 points and went 5 for 12 from the floor. His teammates took 38 shots and made just seven of them.

"If you watched the other guys on this team shoot, would you let Damion Lee get shots off?" Flint said. Then he laughed again.

James Madison (10-8, 3-2 Colonial Athletic Conference) was led by Yohanny Dalembert, the half brother of Samuel, the longtime 76er. Dalembert, a Lower Merion graduate, finished with a game-high 15 points and added five rebounds, two blocks, and three steals. He also shot 6 for 7 from the floor.

The Dragons (3-13, 1-4) scored the first nine points, but missed 17 consecutive shots at the end of the first half and headed into halftime trailing by 17-12. That's just two more than the fewest points in a half in program history, 10, recorded against Lebanon Valley in 1946.

Lee played all 40 minutes for the Dragons. Rashann London (36) and Sammy Mojica (35) nearly did the same.

"You do have to feel badly for him," James Madison coach Matt Brady said of Flint. Brady, a Paul VI alum and Haddon Heights native, knows the Dragons coach well.

Drexel's next game is Saturday night at Delaware. The Dragons will be shorthanded again, but expect Flint to keep it in perspective.

"You'll kill yourself if you think you can't" calm down after the game, Flint said. "It's intense enough as it is. And I know the situation. I can't even have practice sometimes. You look on the bench and I have five guys in street clothes. It's hard, man."