PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alihan Demir had 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds to help Drexel beat UNC Wilmington 69-57 on Thursday night.
The Dragons (12-13, 6-6 Colonial Athletic Association) took the lead for good on Coletrane Washington's 3-pointer with 9:53 left in the game. That sparked an 8-0 run to make it 53-46 for Drexel. Three times, the Seahawks (8-17, 4-8) closed the gap to five, but Drexel pulled away for good with a 10-4 run in the final 3½ minutes.
James Butler had his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds and Trevor John added 14 points with four 3-pointers for the Dragons. John improved his season total from the arc to 83, moving him alone in sixth place in the Drexel record book. Dominic Mejia (2005-06) holds the record with 92 3-pointers.
Devontae Cacok had 15 points and nine rebounds for UNCW. He had been averaging 19.4 points and 17.4 rebounds in his five previous games against Drexel. Jaylen Sims added 11 points.
