Drexel

DREXEL'S HOPES of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament disappeared the first week of December when it lost back-to-back games to Rider and Tennessee State. Ever since then, Drexel's season has been a prelude to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. The Dragons, the league's preseason favorite, need to win three games in 3 days starting with Saturday's first-rounder against George Mason to reach the NCAAs. Drexel (13-17) enters the league playoffs having won its last two games, just their second win streak all season.

Elena Delle Donne scored 24 points, Danielle Parker reached 1,000 career rebounds, and No. 16 Delaware scored the first 16 points to defeat Georgia State, 86-58, on Wednesday night in its regular-season finale in Newark, Del. Parker, playing in her school-record 138th game, had 12 rebounds, and Lauren Carra scored 15 points for the Blue Hens (26-3, 17-0 Colonial Athletic Association), who set a school record with their 22d consecutive victory, surpassing a mark set last season. The Blue Hens' last loss was by 69-53 to Maryland on Dec. 20. Kendra Long scored 14 points and Cody Paulk had 12 for the Panthers (13-16, 5-13)

* La Salle is in great shape for a top-four Atlantic 10 finish and a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Duquesne, which has lost 14 of 15 (how did it ever win at Temple?), is at Gola Saturday. The Explorers average 1.1 points per possession, 40th nationally. The Dukes allow 1.05 PPP, 247th nationally. This does not look complicated. * After the giveaway in Newark, N.J., on Monday (why exactly was Villanova fouling Seton Hall at the end?), the Wildcats had the whole week to think about it. Sunday, they visit Pittsburgh, which busted up a 43-43 tie at the Pavilion in mid-January by scoring the game's final 15 points.

Elena Delle Donne finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds and Lauren Carra scored 21 points to help No. 18 Delaware beat Drexel, 62-57, in Newark, Del., on Sunday. The Blue Hens (26-3, 17-0 Colonial Athletic Association) tied a school record with their 21st straight win. Hollie Mershon (Archbishop Carroll) had 26 points for the Dragons (20-8, 13-4). Dayton 73, St. Joseph's 66 - Andrea Hoover scored 19 points and Samantha MacKay added 18 as the No. 12 Flyers (26-1, 14-0)

Controlling the glass at both ends, Drexel finished its regular season with a 62-46 Colonial Athletic Association win over North Carolina-Wilmington on Saturday night at the Daskalakis Center. At the half, Drexel led, 30-25, for one reason: The Dragons had an 11-0 advantage over UNC-Wilmington (10-20, 5-13 CAA) on second-chance points, with a 26-14 rebounding advantage. Daryl McCoy, playing the last home game of his career, led the Dragons with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Drexel (13-17, 9-9)

Drexel coach Bruiser Flint believes that on Senior Night most coaches tell their younger guys to make it a special night for the seniors in their last game on their home court. "I say, 'Yo, seniors, make it special for yourself,' and they did," Flint said Saturday night. Senior Daryl McCoy was the biggest contributor to Drexel's 62-46 victory over UNC-Wilmington at the Daskalakis Center. McCoy had 13 points, almost all earned by himself during a relentless night on the glass.

A T-shirt-clad Drexel student at the Daskalakis Athletic Center Saturday night for the Dragons' regular-season finale - preparing for a road trip to Richmond next weekend - summed up his chances of enjoying a few days in Virginia quite succinctly. "We could totally win the whole thing," he told a buddy in the stands, "or it could be the biggest waste of a trip ever. " Bruiser Flint can relate. Drexel's coach won't go crazy making wild predictions about next weekend's Colonial Athletic Association tournament.

NORFOLK, Va. - Drexel finally figured out how to win a close game Thursday night. Sophomore Damion Lee, who did not score in the teams' previous meeting, scored a career-high 34 points, and Drexel got a key steal from Dartaye Ruffin and two foul shots from Frantz Massenat in the final 6 seconds to hold off Old Dominion, 81-77, in a Colonial Athletic Association game at the Ted Constant Center. The victory allowed the Dragons to avoid being swept in the regular-season series by the league's worst team.

NORFOLK, Va. - It perhaps came too late to salvage a nightmarish season for the Drexel basketball team, but the Dragons finally figured out how to win a close game Thursday night. Sophomore Damion Lee scored a career-high 34 points, and Drexel got a key steal from Dartaye Ruffin and two foul shots from Frantz Massenat in the final 6 seconds to hold off Old Dominion, 81-77, at the Ted Constant center. With the victory, the Dragons avoided being swept in the regular-season series by the Colonial Athletic Association's worst team.