Penn State men’s basketball (10-2, 1-1 Big Ten) took down Drexel (8-5) 75-64 on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser dropped 18 points while Puff Johnson recorded a career-best 10 rebounds and notched his first-career double-double.
How It Happened
Drexel started strong, making seven of its first eight shots to take a 15-8 lead after six minutes. While the Nittany Lions’ 5-for-13 start slowed them down, Nick Kern Jr. led an eight-point run to take a 16-15 lead halfway through the first half.
That run continued as Penn State scored five of the next seven points and with 5:49 left on the clock, Penn State led 26-25 after the Dragons pulled back.
Konan Niederhauser and Puff Johnson helped boost Penn State’s lead to 35-25 after a nine-point run, and the Nittany Lions led 37-29 at halftime.
Three points from Ace Baldwin Jr. and five from Johnson pushed Penn State into another run that gave it a 51-38 lead through five minutes of the second half
The Dragons fought back, putting together a 9-1 run to make the score 52-47 a few minutes later and while Baldwin’s shooting tried to keep the comeback at bay, Drexel brought the score to 58-56 for Penn State.
Freddie Dilione V and Kachi Nzeh each scored while Drexel couldn’t and Penn State led 62-56 with under five minutes left. After Drexel benefitted from a flagrant foul on the Nittany Lions, an 8-0 run from Penn State put the game away as it led 700-60 with two minutes left.
Zach Hicks knocked down a three-pointer with just over 80 seconds left to let Penn State take the 73-62 win.
What’s Next?
Penn State will return to the Bryce Jordan Center to face Penn at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29, as the Nittany Lions close out non-conference play.
