PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — In a game defined by grinding defense and missed opportunities, Kevon Vanderhorst’s driving layup with three seconds remaining lifted Drexel to a 61-60 victory over North Carolina A&T in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Saturday at Daskalakis Athletic Center.

The Dragons, who led for over 37 minutes, saw a nine-point second-half lead evaporate in the final minutes before Vanderhorst, a guard from Raleigh, North Carolina, took an entry pass from Victor Panov and scored the decisive basket at the rim.

North Carolina A&T, which had rallied to tie the game at 59 on a Lewis Walker 3-pointer with four seconds left, had no timeouts remaining. Trent Middleton’s desperation heave from beyond half-court was off target as time expired, sealing a narrow escape for the home team before a crowd of 1,277.

The contest was a stark contrast in styles and efficiency. Drexel improved to 12-11 overall by relying on interior scoring, converting 26 of 61 field goal attempts while attempting only two free throws, missing both. The Dragons scored 32 points in the paint and hit nine 3-pointers, but managed just three assists against 10 turnovers.

North Carolina A&T fell to 9-12 despite a more disciplined offensive approach. The Aggies shot just 39.6% from the field and 23.8% from beyond the arc, but kept themselves in the game by making 13 of 15 free throws and committing only nine turnovers. They also won the hustle categories, tallying eight steals and eight assists.

The game’s pivotal sequence began after Walker’s clutch 3-pointer from the wing, assisted by Middleton, seemingly sent the game to overtime. Drexel called a full timeout to advance the ball. On the ensuing inbounds play, Vanderhorst cut along the baseline, received the pass from Panov near the block, and finished through traffic for the go-ahead score.

The final play capped a dramatic closing stretch. Drexel held a 57-53 lead after a Garfield Turner layup with 2:11 to play. Zamoku Weluche-Ume answered for the Aggies with a driving layup and a free throw to cut the deficit to one. After a Shane Blakeney hook shot put Drexel up 59-56, the Aggies forced a Vanderhorst turnover, setting the stage for Walker’s game-tying triple.

Blakeney led all scorers with 19 points and added nine rebounds for Drexel. Eli Beard contributed 12 points, all from 3-point range. Vanderhorst finished with five points and five assists, none bigger than his final two.

Walker led North Carolina A&T with 19 points, including the late 3-pointer. Middleton, a Philadelphia native, added 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists in his hometown return. Brooklyn Vick chipped in 10 points.

The first half set the tone for a defensive struggle. Drexel built a 29-21 lead at intermission, holding the Aggies to 21 points on 30% shooting. North Carolina A&T’s offense found a rhythm after halftime, scoring 39 points, but could never string together enough stops to take the lead until the final seconds.

The win allowed Drexel to snap a two-game home losing streak in conference play. North Carolina A&T, coming off an overtime loss at Monmouth on Thursday, has now dropped seven of its last ten games, with five of those losses coming by four points or fewer.

According to pregame analytics from Interstat, Drexel held an 89.9% probability to win and was installed as a seven-point favorite. The combined point total of 119 fell well under the over/under line of 137.5, underscoring the game’s defensive nature.

Drexel travels to face Campbell on Thursday. North Carolina A&T continues its road swing at College of Charleston, also on Thursday.