BOSTON (Interstat) — Victor Panov scored 19 points and Shane Blakeney added 18 as Drexel used a dominant first half to secure a 70-61 victory over Northeastern in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Thursday night at Matthews Arena.

The Dragons, who led by as many as 17 points in the opening period, improved to 14-14 overall and evened their conference record. The Huskies, led by 19 points from Xavier Abreu, dropped to 6-19.

The most important part of the game was Drexel’s immediate and sustained defensive pressure in the first half, which built a lead Northeastern could never overcome. The Dragons opened the game on a 9-0 run, capped by a Panov 3-pointer and a Kevon Vanderhorst layup, and held the Huskies without a field goal for the first four and a half minutes. Northeastern struggled mightily against Drexel’s aggressive defense, committing 10 first-half turnovers and shooting just 24 points on 32 percent from the floor before the break. Drexel, by contrast, executed efficiently at the other end, shooting 46 percent and taking a 29-24 lead into halftime despite a late flurry from the Huskies.

Northeastern showed signs of life after halftime, opening the second period with an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 31-32 on a Youri Fritz layup with 17:13 remaining. The Huskies’ surge, fueled by Abreu and William Kermoury, who finished with 14 points, brought the sparse crowd of 812 to life and threatened to completely erase Drexel’s early work.

But the Dragons responded with critical plays to stem the tide. Following a media timeout, Panov answered with a clutch 3-pointer, and after an Abreu jumper, Drexel engineered a 7-0 run. The sequence was highlighted by a traditional three-point play from Shane Blakeney, who was fouled on a driving layup and made the ensuing free throw, pushing the lead back to 42-34 with 14:10 left. Northeastern would never get closer than five points the rest of the way.

Whenever the Huskies made a push, Drexel had an answer. After a William Kermoury 3-pointer brought Northeastern within 53-48 with just over four minutes to play, Blakeney calmly sank two free throws and Vanderhorst finished a layup off a Josh Reed assist to extend the advantage back to nine. Drexel sealed the game at the foul line, making 10 of 14 free throws in the final three minutes to keep the Huskies at bay.

Panov, a 6-foot-7 junior from St. Petersburg, Russia, filled the stat sheet beyond his scoring, adding five assists and a block in 33 minutes. Blakeney, a 6-5 guard from Rock Hill, South Carolina, played a game-high 37 minutes and contributed three steals. Vanderhorst chipped in eight points for the Dragons.

For Northeastern, Abreu, a local product from Lynn, Massachusetts, shouldered the offensive load, adding three assists. Kermoury, from Stockholm, Sweden, provided 14 points and three assists, while Petar Pinter of Montenegro and JB Frankel of New York each scored eight points.

The game was a reversal of fortune from the teams’ previous meeting on Jan. 24, which Drexel won 83-78 at home. The Dragons have now won two straight in the series. Drexel will look to build on the road win when they host Towson on Saturday. Northeastern, mired in a difficult season, will try to regroup at home against Hofstra, also on Saturday.