Drexel

The UMBC men's basketball team held Drexel to 34 percent shooting and was nearly flawless at the free-throw line while downing the Dragons, 71-57, in the first game of the Conference Challenge last night at the Retriever Activities Complex in Catonsville.Terence Ward led with 19 points, followed by 13 points from Brad Martin and 12 from Kennedy Okafor, as the Retrievers (3-3) got back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 19.In beating the America East representative Drexel (1-3), UMBC got revenge for the Northeast Conference, whose Fairleigh Dickinson team had lost to the Dragons in overtime on Dec. 4. The Retrievers did so by holding Drexel's top scorers -- Mike Kouser and Tom Dearborn -- to seven second-half points.

Having lost by an average of 40 points to Missouri, UCLA and Arizona State, the Morgan State men's basketball team would do anything for a win.So to get a break from the mismatches, the Bears entered the Conference Challenge at UMBC. But, it was more challenging than they bargained for, as they lost to Drexel, 72-59, last night at the Retriever Activities Center in Catonsville.Mike Kouser scored 10 of his game-high 24 points in the final 4: 48, leading an 18-4 Dragons run that defeated Morgan State's purpose of playing in this weekend's event.

Though Towson's 59-56 loss last night wasn't as shameful as the previous setback against Drexel, there is little doubt that it was every bit as painful.Playing against a team tied for first place in America East, the Tigers (3-12, 2-5) kept after the Dragons (10-4, 7-1) for nearly every minute of the game only to fall after watching possible game-tying three-pointers by Pete Mauro and Raul dePablo go short in the final five seconds.The last time these two teams met, in Philadelphia, Towson took a 16-point lead only to lose it in the final five minutes.

Towson University senior forward Derick Newton, who was ejected for fighting in Tuesday night's game against Drexel and received an automatic one-game suspension, has been given an additional four-game penalty by America East commissioner Chris Monasch.Monasch cited America East bylaws in levying the additional suspension after reviewing the game tape and conducting interviews with Newton, game officials, Towson coach Mike Jaskulski, Towson athletic director Wayne Edwards, Drexel coach Bill Herrion and Drexel athletic director Lou Marciani.

Megan Gardiner scored 22 points and Vera Feldbusch and Katie Walton each added 12 as Mount St. Mary's defeated Drexel, 67-57, yesterday in Philadelphia.Walton's dozen points marked a career high for the freshman.The Mount (5-4) trailed 12-4 early as Drexel's Michelle Maslowski scored seven points in an 8-0 run. With Drexel (5-4) up 17-16 with 7: 20 left in the half, the Mountaineers went on a 16-2 tear to seize a 32-19 edge.In the second half, Drexel, which had 19 turnovers before the break, took better care of the ball but could not catch the Mountaineers.

Despite all the phone calls, letters and visits from numerous college coaches, it was an easy decision for Arundel standout guard Sherice Proctor. Anne Arundel's Player of the Year will sign today to play Proctor for Drexel University in Philadelphia."

Ben Ford Abrams,88, a vaudevillian and a founder of what became one of the largest theatrical agencies in the country, died Friday in Boston.He became an entertainer in 1932, teaming with his brother, Jack Ford, as the Ford Brothers in a tap dance and acrobatic act.The next year, Ben, Jack and brother Abe Ford founded the Ford Theatrical Agency in Boston.The agency booked such stars as Ella Fitzgerald, the Louis Armstrong Orchestra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Buddy Hackett.The brothers also owned two nightclubs in Boston, the old Rio Casino and the Tic Toc Club.

NEWARK, Del. -- An inspired Towson State virtually outplayed powerful Drexel all night and had a chance to win the America East quarterfinal game at the end.But an inbounds play under the Towson basket went awry with five seconds left and the Tigers fell, 78-75, to the heavily favored Dragons."

Towson State (3-7, 0-3)at Drexel (7-4, 4-0)Site: Physical Education Athletic Center, PhiladelphiaTime: 7Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM)Outlook: There might not be a good time for Towson State to play Drexel, but the timing of tonight's America East game looks pretty bad. Sunday's 104-63 loss at Delaware was the Tigers' sixth defeat in the past seven games, and they're off to their worst start in five years. Drexel beat them three times last season, most recently by 10 points in the conference semifinals.

Drexel (14-6, 10-2) at Towson State (5-14, 2-10)Site: Towson CenterTime: 1 p.m.Outlook: Towson State lost at Hofstra on Friday, 84-71, the Tigers' sixth defeat in seven games and ninth in 11. Junior C Ryan Lexer led the Tigers with 16 points. Junior F Ralph Biggs, the third-leading scorer in America East at 17.8 ppg, was held to 12 points and fouled out, as did junior F Derick Newton, who scored 15. Drexel, the second-place team in America East, beat Delaware on Friday, 74-70, for its sixth consecutive victory.

Towson kept its bid alive for an NCAA Division I playoff spot with a 10-2 victory over visiting Drexel on Wednesday night in a Colonial Athletic Association semifinal game at Johnny Unitas Stadium. No. 2 seed Towson (7-8 overall, 5-2 conference) will host No. 4 Villanova in the conference championship game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Villanova upset top seed Hofstra, 9-7, in Wednesday night's other semifinal. The winner of the conference championship receives an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA tournament.

Towson 73 Drexel 62 -Opening the game with a 15-0 run, 11th seed Towson (11-21) stunned sixth seed Drexel (15-14) by building a 39-14 halftime lead and cruising to victory in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament last night in Richmond, Va. With the win, the Tigers advanced to tonight's CAA quarterfinals, where they'll face third seed Northeastern at 8:30. "We played great defense in the first half," Towson coach Pat Kennedy said. "The great thing is we live to play another day."

PHILADELPHIA - Before the game, Jeff Deliz grabbed his cell phone and starting punching buttons. He sent a text message to his good friend that read, "This one's for you." Deliz, a senior defensive back for Navy, turned off his phone and wrapped tape tightly around both wrists. With a black marker, he scribbled "18" - Rashawn King's number - on each. Then he took the field at Lincoln Financial Field and helped his team deliver one of the biggest beatings in one of the nation's best rivalries.

Drexel? Where did that name come from? There are several national lacrosse polls these days, and they all contain the usual suspects: Virginia, Duke, Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Maryland. But there is a new face. It's Drexel. The Dragons have been in the top 20 before, but not consistently. This season, the Dragons have been ranked just about every week and are at No. 7 in the latest Sun rankings. "It's nice to be in the rankings," Drexel coach Chris Bates said. "Recruits read national rankings, and when they see your school among them, they get excited."

Senior guard Jamell Beasley scored a season-high 17 points, including 12 in the second half, and added eight rebounds as fifth-seeded Towson overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to advance to the Colonial Athletic Association tournament semifinals with a 62-53 victory over fourth-seeded Drexel (18-12) last night at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Tigers (22-9) will play top-seeded Old Dominion today at 2:30 p.m. in the second semifinal. Beasley made five of 12 shots from the floor and was 6-for-8 from the free-throw line as Towson used a 26-7 run over a 12-minute span to earn its third straight win. Senior guard Holly Mahan added 15 points in the victory, and sophomore forward Kandace Davis had a team-high 11 rebounds to go with eight points.

Senior forward Jonathan Pease had a double double with a team-high 25 points and 11 rebounds yesterday to lead host Towson to an 86-77 victory over rival Drexel. Pease played a strong all-around game, hitting three-pointers early, making layups midway through the game and then converting five of six free throws in the closing 22 seconds to lock up the victory. "Going inside and then hitting those foul shots goes back to high school," said Pease, who went to Chopticon High in Mechanicsville.

With 15 seconds left Jonathan Engelke scored on an assist from Bobby Griebe as the No. 19 Towson men (8-4, 5-1) clinched the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title last night with a 9-8 road victory over No. 13 Drexel (10-5, 4-1). Colin Ambler led Drexel with four points. Ron Garling had a goal and two assists for Drexel, but Andrew Chapman, the CAA's leading scorer, was held to a pair of goals. Engelke, Brian Vetter and Adam Hagelin each had two goals for Towson. No. 9 Maryland 14, Penn 10 -- Max Ritz tied his career high with six points on a season-best four goals and two assists to lead the visiting Terrapins (9-4)

Good enough to compete. Not good enough to seal the deal. Towson will go into March the same way it entered the season, seeking a distinctive win in the Colonial Athletic Association. That eluded the Tigers one more maddening time yesterday, when they wasted another 30-point game from Gary Neal and fell to Drexel, 77-68. "I've never had a team have so many of these," coach Pat Kennedy said. "Usually, you look back and say, `Remember that play, remember that shot?' We haven't had a chance to enjoy that as much as we deserve."

Last week was a good week to be Leon Black. In the course of just three days, Black, the enigmatic founder of the Apollo Group, a private equity firm, has struck about $37 billion worth of deals. On Sunday, Apollo acquired Realogy, the giant real estate franchiser that owns Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and Sotheby's International Realty. That deal was trumped by a $27.8 billion deal Tuesday for Harrah's Entertainment, the world's largest casino company. The acquisition, which includes the assumption of $10.7 billion in debt, was made in tandem with the Texas Pacific Group.

Towson, which has always had trouble beating Drexel, was making up for a lot of lost games after 23 1/2 minutes yesterday. After a near-flawless first half and a quick spurt at the start of the second, the Tigers had a 30-point lead over one of their primary Colonial Athletic Association rivals. Then, all heck broke loose before 2,548 exuberant fans at the Towson Center. With four guards on the floor slashing at the ball and pressing frantically, Drexel nearly overcame the deficit before two free throws by Gary Neal with five seconds remaining finally secured an 84-80 Towson victory.