Recap: Penn vs. Drexel

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Tavon Allen scored 15 points and recorded four steals off the bench in his debut to help the short-handed Drexel Dragons defeat the Penn Quakers, 61-59, in a non-conference tilt between inner city rivals at The Palestra.

Dartaye Ruffin also scored 15 points for the Dragons (1-2), while Chris Fouch added 10 and a team-best four assists. Daryl McCoy had a game-high 14 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive glass.

For the Quakers (1-3), Fran Dougherty scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor while adding 10 rebounds to record a double-double. Miles Cartwright made all nine of his free throw attempts on the way to 18 points, but the remaining three Quaker starters combined for just four points on a combined 1-of-5 shooting performance from the field.

Drexel held the lead for most of the first half but the Quakers battled back thanks in large part to the aggressiveness of Cartwright and Dougherty. Penn attempted ten free throws in the first half, making nine of them, while the Dragons attempted just three. The Quakers' advantage at the foul line helped them take a 31-30 lead into the intermission.

Penn jumped out to an eight-point lead early in the second half, but saw it slip away due to a tremendous effort by Drexel on the offensive glass. The Dragons scored 16 second-chance points compared to just four for the Quakers.

Drexel led 60-53 with a minute remaining in regulation, but it turned the ball over twice, leading to consecutive Penn baskets. Trailing 61-59, the Quakers had possession with just over 20 seconds left to play. Cartwright drove to the basket, but lost possession. A jump ball call by the official returned the ball to the Dragons, and Frantz Massenat was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play. Although Massenat missed both of his attempts at the charity stripe, there are not enough time remaining for Penn to attempt a shot.

The win marks the 200th of Drexel coach Bruiser Flint's career.