ELON, N.C. (AP) Tanner Samson scored 19 points, Steve Santa Ana added 18 more and Elon held off a second half Drexel surge for an 83-78 win Saturday.
Elon (10-5, 1-1 Colonial) led by as many as 18 points early in the second half but Drexel chipped away, pulling to within four on Tavon Allen's 3-pointer to make it 80-76 with 28 seconds to play. Samson then clinched the win with 3-of-4 shooting from the line.
Santa Ana pumped in four 3-pointers for the Phoenix, which shot 49 percent from the field to even the all-time series with Drexel at 2-2. Tyler Seibring had 15 points and Dmitri Thompson 11.
Allen and Rodney Williams scored 19 points apiece for the Dragons (2-11, 0-2), while Sammy Mojica added 14.
Drexel controlled the boards 44-37 but had only eight assists and hit just 25 of 67 (37.3 percent) from the floor.
