PHILADELPHIA - Drexel guard Kurk Lee scored 23 points, added eight rebounds and handed out four assists to lead the Dragons (5-4) past the La Salle University men's basketball team, 72-70, on Thursday evening at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center.

The Explorers (5-5), who trailed by as many as 12 points late in the second half, rallied down the stretch and had an opportunity to pull out a win but a three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

Senior B.J. Johnson posted his fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds to pace the home team.

The visitors jumped out to an early 12-4 advantage behind five points from Sammy Mojica and a jumper by Lee. The margin grew to 14 after a layup from Tyshawn Myles with 11 minutes remaining that put the score at 24-10.

A 10-2 spurt by La Salle that included three-pointers from redshirt junior Pookie Powell and sophomore Saul Phiri brought the Explorers to within five with 6:51 left in the first half.

The deficit remained five with 2:24 to go in the period before Drexel's half-ending 8-0 run that pushed the Dragons on top by a score of 43-30 at intermission. Drexel continued to hold a relatively comfortable lead until the 6:28 mark of the second half when La Salle made its charge.

Two free throws from graduate student Amar Stukes and eight straight points from sophomore Isiah Deas sparked a 10-0 run that pulled the home team to within a single basket with just under four minutes to go.

Three straight points from Lee bumped the margin back to five before an old-fashioned three-point play by Johnson again brought the Explorers within two at the 2:05 mark. Austin Williams connected on a hook in the lane to establish a four-point cushion for the Dragons, their final basket of the contest at the 1:40 mark.

La Salle had a number of opportunities to pull closer but missed two of four free throws and both field goal attempts over the final 1:26, including the final three that missed off the backboard as time expired.

Drexel outrebounded the Explorers by a 42-26 margin and shot 54.0 percent from the field, while the Explorers forced 17 turnovers and had a 20-6 advantage in bench scoring. Deas led the charge on that front, scoring 14 points in addition to a pair of steals.

Powell also added 16 in the loss for La Salle, who returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 10 against Villanova at Wells Fargo Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., with the contest airing live nationally on Fox Sports 1.