Georgia State

A struggling Georgia State squad visited Drexel tonight at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, where the home team took the floor as the hottest team in the Colonial Athletic Association. About 10 minutes in, the visitors were in an insurmountable hole and well on their way to a 64-47 defeat. The Dragons, who were up by 15 points at intermission, had a 47-29 lead with 9 minutes, 17 seconds remaining. In winning its sixth consecutive game, Drexel improved to 11-8 overall and 7-3 in the league.

If Drexel played Georgia State last night the same way it played during its five-game winning streak, the Dragons were expected to win. Drexel had problems shooting, but it still prevailed, 64-47, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The Dragons (11-8, 7-3 Colonial Athletic Association) shot only 30 percent from the field. They didn't score a field goal after Gerald Colds' three-pointer with 6 minutes, 19 seconds remaining gave them a 54-33 advantage. But down the stretch, Drexel shot 10-for-10 from the free throw line (21 of 24 for the game)

There were some disciples of St. Joseph's basketball in Charlotte Coliseum last night with long memories of Hawk basketball. None could recall St. Joe's falling behind by 25 points before. In the first 11 minutes after tip-off. And for a while, after the relentless Marvin O'Connor willed St. Joe's back into a wildly unpredictable game against Georgia State, grimacing with just about every step he took because of a jammed left toe, it looked as if the Hawks were going to score an unforgettable comeback victory.

Joe Dukes scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half to lead Georgia State to a 54-41 victory over Delaware yesterday in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament in Richmond, Va. Dukes grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists for the Panthers (12-19), who advanced to the quarterfinals to play top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth today. Leonard Mendez had 12 points for the Panthers. Rashad Chase also had 13 rebounds for Georgia State, which outrebounded the Blue Hens, 45-34.

The future of Drexel women's basketball is Gabriela Marginean, although the native of Romania is already doing an outstanding job. The 6-foot-1 freshman scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds yesterday to lead the ninth-seeded Dragons to a 73-62 upset of No. 8 Georgia State in the first game of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament at Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center. Marginean scored 16 points in the first half as the Dragons (10-20) led the Panthers, 33-31, at intermission.

It might sound ridiculous, since Arkansas scored 117 points, but the second-ranked Razorbacks won their first-round NCAA Tournament game with their defense. The Razorbacks came away with 16 steals and forced 32 turnovers while pounding Georgia State 117-76 yesterday. "Nolan Richardson was very, very kind," Georgia State coach Bob Reinhart said of his Arkansas counterpart. "He took the press off with eight or nine minutes left," Reinhart said. "He could have scored 150 points.

Drexel will be facing a formidable task when the Dragons meet two-time defending Colonial Athletic Association Tournament champion Old Dominion in Sunday's 2 p.m. semifinal at the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia. Fourth-seeded ODU (20-12) advanced with an 88-74 quarterfinal win over fifth-seeded Delaware, which entered the tournament with a nine-game winning streak. Leading, 47-42, at halftime, ODU began the second half on a 13-4 run to take control. Kent Bazemore had 24 points to lead the Monarchs.

Drexel turned aside vastly improved Georgia State, 74-65, last night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center for their third Colonial Athletic Association win in four games. Jasmina Rosseel, a native of Belgium, set a career milestone with a game-high 20 points, one more than her previous best. She also tied a personal mark in three-pointers, connecting on five of 11 attempts. Gabriela Marginean added 18 points. Andrea Peterson was also in double figures for the Dragons (8-7, 3-1 CAA)

A season ago, Scott Brooks was the rookie who had defeated the odds, caught someone's eyes and earned an NBA uniform. This year, the lucky Sixers rookie is Lanard Copeland, an undrafted free agent from Georgia State who used an exceptional showing in the Southern California Summer Pro League to attract the Sixers. "This is unbelievable," Copeland said before the Sixers opened their 1989-90 season against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Spectrum last night. "It's like a dream come true.

Thanks to Saturday's 49-24 win at Georgia State, Villanova is 6-2 and tied for first place with New Hampshire in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 4-1 mark. The Wildcats, vying for a Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth, also are ranked in both the FCS coaches poll and the Sports Network FCS poll for the first time this season. Villanova made its debut in the coaches poll at No. 23 Monday after being in the "receiving votes" category last week. The Wildcats are 19th in the Sports Network FCS poll after being ranked 24th last week.