By Sean Kennedy
Yesterday’s Action
Drexel 71, Elon 64
In their opening game of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, Drexel jumped out to a double-digit first half lead, holding on late for a victory over the Elon Phoenix. Drexel won the game on the glass, out-rebounding Elon 39-24, including a stunning 11-1 advantage in offensive boards. Elon big man Lucas Troutman was an offensive force down low, with a game-high 23 points, but the Dragons perimeter defense held the Phoenix to just 2-16 shooting from behind the arc. For Drexel, Chris Fouch dropped a team-high 22 points, while Damion Lee added 16 points on 5-10 shooting and 6 rebounds.
Facing an experienced Elon squad that will be joining them in the CAA next season, Drexel put forth another solid performance to move to 2-1 on the season. They’ll play Rutgers tomorrow night in the championship of the tournament’s north pod. Read below for further analysis.
Today’s Action
7:00 PM: La Salle (2-1, 0-0 A-10) @ Penn State (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
After averting disaster by coming back to defeat Siena over the weekend, La Salle sits at 2-1 but has not looked anything like the cinderella squad that fought its way through the NCAA tournament a season ago. The Explorers are shooting just 39.2% from the field, stemming from the early season struggles of leading scorers Tyreek Duren and Tyrone Garland, who have combined for just a 34.4 FG% and 24.0% from three. La Salle needs to really start putting the screws to their opponents in some of these non-conference games that you would expect a tournament-caliber team to dominate.
We covered the Nittany Lions in their win over Penn Saturday. The backcourt of senior Tim Frazier and junior D.J. Newbill have carried the load for Penn State this season, and did so once again against the Quakers, especially Frazier who went off for 29 points and 7 assists. The Explorers have the players on the perimeter quick enough to stay with those guards and prevent dribble penetration. The question will be whether they show enough commitment on the defensive end, something with which La Salle has shown lapses in their first handful of games. La Salle’s Jerrell Wright has done a great job on the boards this season, and you would expect him to clean up the glass against an undersized Nittany Lions roster.
Despite the scoring potential of Penn State’s backcourt, I would look for the Explorers guard play to be the difference in this contest. Those guys are too talented to remain in their current shooting slump for much longer. Call this their breakout game as La Salle takes a tough road contest over the Nittany Lions.
7:30 PM: Drexel (2-1, 0-0 CAA) @ Rutgers (3-1, 0-0 AAC)
After dispatching Elon, Drexel moves on to face Rutgers Tuesday night, playing on the Scarlet Knights’ home court as they hosted the north pod of the tournament bracket. After trailing against Canisius at haltime Monday night, Rutgers came alive in the second half to cruise to a 66-51 victory and a meeting with the Dragons. The Scarlet Knights have played well to start the season, with their lone loss a three-point defeat to a talented UAB squad.
Rutgers is an experienced group starting five upperclassmen. Junior forward Kadeem Jack has assumed a bigger role this season, leading the team in points and assists, and coming off a double-double against Canisius. Guard Myles Mack has struggled with his shot through the first four games, but shot 46.2% from three last season so he’s certainly a threat from the perimeter. The Dragons will have their hands full with a deep squad in front of a hostile crowd. If they win, they’ll likely face Arizona next Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, while a loss will end their lofty dreams of NIT Season Tip-Off glory.
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