By Sean Kennedy
Yesterday’s Action
Penn State 79, La Salle 72
In what was a close game throughout, a late 15-4 run by the Nittany Lions finally broke things open and doomed the Explorer to defeat. The loss dropped La Salle back to .500 in the early going, as they could not overcome another inefficient night from their starting backcourt, as Tyrone Garland and Tyreek Duren combined to shoot just 36.7% from the floor. Big men Steve Zack and Jerrell Wright did both record double-doubles in the losing effort.
Penn State sophomore Donovan Jack was a nuisance all game, dropping a career and game-high 18 points, including a 4-6 mark from behind the arc. All five starters for Penn State were in double figures in what was their most balanced offensive attack of the season. As for the boys from Philly, La Salle just continues to drive home that they’re not the same team that made their tremendous tournament run earlier this calendar year. The Explorers will look to get things back on track as they head to St. Thomas this weekend for the Paradise Jam tournament. They’ll first face Morgan State on Friday.
Drexel 70, Rutgers 59
Looking to advance to Madison Square Garden in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, Drexel came out sharp against Rutgers Tuesday night, before going for the throat in the second half, stretching their lead to as many as 15 points. The win earns them a trip to the semifinal in New York, where they’ll face powerhouse Arizona next Wednesday.
Sophomore guard Tavon Allen had the best game of his young career, scoring a career and game-high 21 points, getting 34 minutes off the bench while Chris Fouch was dealing with foul trouble. Damion Lee did a nice game shooting the basketball with 15 points, and Frantz Massenat finished with 12 points and 7 assists. It was an encouraging game for the Dragons, not only for the win but for the fact that a new face stepped up and helped round out the offensive attack. At 3-1 with the lone loss at UCLA, Drexel continues to look strong this season, and I’m excited to see what they do against an elite program in Arizona next week.
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