By Sean Kennedy
Yesterday’s Action
Drexel 78, James Madison 60
After Drexel received the news that Kaz Abif was out for the season after fracturing his hand in practice Thursday, it would have been understandable for the Dragons to come out with a sub-par effort Saturday. However, if there’s one silver lining about all the injuries Drexel has suffered this season, it’s that the time is prepared to put such news behind them and move on to the next game. That’s exactly what the team did against the Dukes, using a 21-6 run in the second half to break the game wide open and cruise to an easy victory.
Getting the start for the injured Abif, Rodney Williams acquitted himself very well, recording a double-double with 14 point and 10 rebounds in addition to 4 blocks. The bulk of the Dragons’ offense was supplied by Chris Fouch, who dropped 26 points behind a 5-10 effort from behind the arc. With the win, Drexel moved back to .500 in conference play, and with some more winnable games on the horizon, they can still make some noise in the Colonial.
Saint Louis 65, La Salle 63
Senior Tyreek Duren did everything he could in big moments to help La Salle give the Billikens their first loss in conference play. The guard hit a running floater at the buzzer to tie the game at halftime, a corner three with 1 minute remaining in the game to tie the contest once again, and an amazing spinning drive in the lane to notch the contest at 63 for the last of his 14 points. However, in the end, the Explorers had no answer for Jordair Jett, who finished with a game-high 25 points, including two drives in final minute to win the game for Saint Louis, extending their school-record winning streak to 16 games.
Alongside Duren’s efforts, the main reason La Salle found themselves in the game was the excellent play of their frontcourt. Steve Zack had yet another double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Jerrell Wright tied a career-high with 21 points to lead the way offensively for the Explorers. The tough defeat was the 5th loss in the last 6 games for La Salle, who dropped under .500 in A-10 play for the first time this season.
Pennsylvania 68, Columbia 60
Penn earned their first Ivy League weekend sweep since March 2012, also winning consecutive games for the first time this season with a solid win over the Lions. An efficient Quakers scoring attack was spearheaded by Fran Dougherty, who went 8-8 from the field in the first half, scoring 19 points in the opening period on his way to a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds.
As a team, the Quakers shot 54% on the night, and did good work on the glass, out-rebounding Columbia 37-26. Penn finds itself in 4th place in the Ivy, and with games against Yale and Brown (two teams ahead of them in the standings) upcoming next weekend, they have a chance to take matters into their own hands.
Saint Joseph’s 69, VCU 62
The Hawks responded extremely well to a lethargic effort in a loss to Saint Louis, playing frontrunners nearly the entire way to pull out a victory over the dangerous Rams. Still, the game was in doubt up until the final minute, as VCU had closed within three points. But Halil Kanacevic stepped up to take a charge in the lane on a Treveon Graham drive (vehemently disagreed with by VCU coach Shaka Smart), securing the victory for St. Joe’s.
The duo of Langston Galloway and DeAndre Bembry carried the scoring load for the Hawks, with Galloway finishing with a game-high 24 points, hitting three triples and showing off some hops with a powerful dunk off an offensive rebound. Bembry added 18 points, which could have been even more if not for a 1-5 mark from the foul line, including a very odd three misses on potential and-1 plays. The win was huge for St. Joe’s as this game and the win over UMass last week will both be looked upon very favorable in the eyes of the tournament committee come March. They’ll look to get another winning streak going in a Big 5 battle against La Salle next week.
Today’s Action
2:00 PM: Temple (6-15, 1-8 AAC) @ Houston (11-12, 3-7 AAC) – ESPN News
The Owls finish off their 2-game Texas swing when they look to earn just their second conference win against the Cougars. Temple will need to shake off their worst shooting performance of the season against SMU, but will find things slightly easier against a Houston team that has lost 5 straight games and 7 of their last 8. Of course, with 10 losses in their last 11 games, the Owls aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire themselves.
6’8″ junior TyShawn Thomas is the main offensive force for Houston, averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds. At 3 offensive boards a contest, Thomas will be locked in a battle with Temple’s Anthony Lee, who is one of the nation’s best rebounders himself. Temple leading scorer Dalton Pepper will look to shake off a minor recent shooting slump, having gone just 33% from the field over the past three games following his career-high 33 points against Cincinnati. The Owls are arguably the more talented team than the Cougars; this is a spot where they can earn themselves a victory if they can shake off the bad vibes of this lost season.
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