Drexel keeps the Quakers winless
Drexel keeps the Quakers winless
The game was dubbed the "Battle for the 33d Street Trophy."
In reality, it was the battle to avoid becoming Philadelphia's last winless Division I men's basketball team.
Unfortunately for Penn, the Quakers hold that distinction.
Drexel defeated its down-the-street rival, 58-49, tonight at the Palestra. It marked the first time Drexel (1-3) won a third consecutive game in this series. But Penn still holds a 15-7 series advantage.
The Quakers opened the season 0-4 for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign.
The victory "gives us our confidence," Drexel point guard Jamie Harris said. "Not that we lost it, but just that we played in a lot of tough games, and results came out not in our favor. So this right here definitely gives us a little boost to carry over and take on to the next game."
The junior also gave his team a big boost, scoring a career-high 22 points and helping ice the game by making six of eight foul shots in the final 58 seconds.
"He got into the lane a little bit too much for us for some big baskets," Penn coach Glen Miller said. "He was the difference from an offensive standpoint for Drexel."
Failure to stop Harris was not Penn's only problem as the Dragons scored 20 points off the Quakers' 18 turnovers. Penn also had scoring lapses during the game: One of those stretches came when the Quakers opened the second half by missing four consecutive shots. Taking advantage, Drexel jumped out to its largest lead - 32-20 - with 17 minutes, 18 seconds left.
Penn later answered with a 15-5 stretch to pull within two, at 37-35, with 10:52 remaining. But that was as close as the Quakers got.
The teams also combined to shoot 0 for 19 on three-pointers.
According to stats.com, the last time neither team made a three-point shot in a Division I men's basketball game was Feb. 9, 2002. Elon and Charleston Southern combined to go 0 for 11.
Drexel forward Leon Spencer missed his first game after fracturing his left wrist Friday night against Rutgers. The senior will be sidelined eight to 10 weeks.
Penn played without injured guard Tyler Bernardini (left foot) and center Andreas Schreiber (right shoulder). Both players are expected to miss five weeks of action.
Contact staff writer Keith Pompey at 610-313-8029 or kpompey@phillynews.com.
