PHILADELPHIA — Tramaine Isabell posted a double-double and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to give Drexel a 34-point comeback win over Delaware Thursday night for the largest come-from-behind win in the history of Division I basketball.
Isabell scored 29 points with 12 rebounds and nine assists in the 85-83 victory. Drexel broke a record that stood since Dec. 30, 1950 when Duke beat Tulane 74-72 after trailing by 32.
“So many times we say it is a great day to be a Dragon,” Drexel head coach Zach Spiker said. “Anytime we had a dead ball in the second half, we said, ‘It is a great day for a comeback.’ “
Jacob Cushing’s 3-pointer with 2:36 before halftime gave Delaware a 53-19 lead. From there, Drexel (12-18, 6-11 Colonial Athletic) proceeded to outscore Delaware 66-30 on 58-percent shooting.
Isabell tied it with a 3-point play with 3:50 left. The teams traded jump shots before Darian Bryant fouled Isabell on his 3-point attempt with time winding down. Isabell made 2 of 3 foul shots and Eric Carter’s desperation 3-pointer was off as time expired.
Sammy Mojica scored 16 points, Troy Harper 14 and Kurk Lee, 13 for the Dragons.
“It’s not the best record to break,” said Harper, drawing laughter when asked about his team’s place in history. “It is a great feeling, we did it, but nobody wants to ever to do it again. It was fun, but nobody wants to go down 30 and fight back and win.”
Ray Allen led Delaware (12-18, 5-12) with 21 points, Ryan Daly, 17, Carter, 15 with 12 rebounds and Anthony Mosley added 14.