4:25 p.m.
FDU receives its sixth loss this season, falling to Drexel University at home, 85-68. The Knights will next face non-conference Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn. on Dec. 22 at 7 p.m.
While the Knights lost, the team seems to be performing better in the second half and they will get more help with walk-on Sal Xheraj who showed an aggressive performance in his game debut.
Jenkins led the Knights with 18 points, as well as Williams with 16 points and Baker also had nine points.
FDU shot 27-59(45.8%) from the field, 8-21(38.1%) from the three-point line and 6-9(66.7%) from the free-throw line.
Wynter led the Dragons with 31 points followed by Butler with 15 points and Bickerstaff with 13 points.
Drexel shot 31-59(52.5%) from the field, 7-22(31.8%) from the three-point line and 16-23(69.6%) from the free-throw line.
Thank you to our sports editor Anthony Covino, assistant sports editor Jen Malti and sports writer Charles Elmo for helping with today’s live blog.
Thank you to Editor-In-Chief Elizabeth Scalzo for producing the live blog and student lifestyle editor Naniyah McClain for updating Twitter throughout the game.
3:59 p.m.
Xheraj checks back in for FDU with a little over a minute remaining. After making his collegiate debut earlier in the second half, he subs in for Powell.
3:55 p.m.
Baker hits a corner three. That cuts the Drexel lead to 17, but it’s too little too late for the Knights. Two minutes remaining.
3:49 p.m.
Drexel has blown this one open here in the Rothman. With five minutes left, the Dragons lead by 22 in-part due to a sloppy second half by the Knights.
3:46 p.m.
The Knights are out of sorts. A lot of unforced errors, turning the ball over uncharacteristically while trailing. Walk-on Sal Xheraj will see his first minutes of the season as he checks in for FDU with 7:18 remaining.
3:41 p.m.
The Dragons are in the double-bonus. Butler heads back to the line and adds to his total. He has 13 points as Drexel seems to have an answer for everything the Knights throw at them to get back into this one. Media timeout with 7:57 left, FDU down 71-57.
3:39 p.m.
Drexel stops the scoreless run, but Jenkins has an answer. The Knights aren’t going down without a fight. Jenkins has 18 points for FDU, but they still trail by 14 with 9:45 remaining
3:36 p.m.
Quick 7-0 run for the Knights. Square Jr. completes the and-one as he has seven points for FDU. Still a double-digit lead for the Dragons with ten minutes left in the game.
3:34 p.m.
Tim Perry hits a contested lay-up, his first points of the game. He was fouled and finished off the three-point play at the line. It has been all Dragons here since coming out of the first half. Lead up to 18 for Drexel.
3:31 p.m.
Wynter scores back-to-back baskets. He has 24 points for the Dragons, leading all scorers. This one is getting ugly here in the Rothman Center as Drexel has taken complete control here in the second half. They lead 61-45 with time dwindling for the Knights to turn this one around.
3:28 p.m.
Back-to-back fouls by Marc Dadika and Munden Jr. put Drexel in the single-bonus with exactly 13 minutes remaining. The Dragon’s cash in and extend their lead to 13, 58-45.
3:25 p.m.
Williams stays in and banks in a jumper. He has 16 points for FDU. The Knights still trail 56-45 with 13:20 remaining in the contest.
3:23 p.m.
Williams fouls Bickerstaff as he heads back to the free-throw line. That is Williams’ third foul and he may have to head to the bench due to foul trouble with the Knights down 11.
3:22 p.m.
Racine is called for his first foul. He did not like the call and neither did Coach Herenda. Bickerstaff hits both free throws as Drexel takes their biggest lead of the afternoon, 54-42.
3:18 p.m.
FDU scores out of the timeout. Pier-Oliver Racine gets on the board with his first basket of the game. Wynter answers back for Drexel with a jumper to halt any sort of momentum swing. The Dragons lead 53-42 with under 15 minutes left.
3:15 p.m.
Drexel is on a 12-0 run and now lead 51-40 with 15:51 left in the second half. After trailing, the Dragons now lead by 11 thanks to 12 straight points. Timeout Knights.
3:13 p.m.
Tempers flare and double technicals are issued for Jenkins and Wynter. Wynter knocks down two free-throws and the Dragons now lead by seven, 47-40.
3:11 p.m.
Bickerstaff tries to throw it down, but is fouled by Elyjah Williams. He hits a pair at the line to extend the Drexel lead to five with 17:00 remaining.
3:09 p.m.
Brandon Powell nails his first shot of the game and it’s a three-pointer. FDU retakes the lead 40-39.
3:06 p.m.
John Square Jr. hits a lay-up to open up the second half scoring for FDU. The Knights trail by two, 39-37.
3:03 p.m.
At halftime, Drexel leads 39-35 in a back-and-forth affair as FDU has kept it close.
Williams and Jenkins lead the Knights with 14 points each. Wynter leads the Dragons with 13 points at the end of the half.
FDU shot 14-30 (46.7%) from the field, 5-13 (38.5%) from three and 2-2 (100%) from the free-throw line.
Drexel shot 16-28 (57.1%) from the field, 5-14 (35.7%) from three and 2-3 (66.7%) from the free throw line.
FDU kept it close in this first half, with Drexel shooting almost 60% from the field to start the game out. Both teams have shot the ball well in the first half as Jenkins and Williams have 14 points for the Knights and are facilitating this offense. The Knights have to defend Drexel better from the three to keep this game close and not out of reach in the second half.
2:49 p.m.
Drexel extend the lead to 37-33 with less than a minute left in the half as Jenkins steals the ball and lays it in to cut the lead to 37-35.
2:48 p.m.
Jenkins scores two straight baskets for the Knights to tie the game at 31-31, but the Dragons respond with a basket of their own. Drexel leads 33-31 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half
2:42 p.m.
Drexel knocks down a three to get the lead back 28-27 with 4:50 remaining in the first half in a back and forth game.
2:38 p.m.
Out of the timeout, Callum Baker hits the three to give FDU the lead 25-22 as Williams lays it in to extend the lead 27-22.
2:34 p.m.
Jenkins gives FDU the lead back with a long-range jumper from distance. Timeout Drexel with 7:59 remaining in the first half with the Knights leading by two.
2:29 p.m.
Amari Williams gives Drexel its first lead since the opening minutes. He shows off his nice touch from mid-range. The Dragons lead 20-19 with 10:06 left in the first half.
2:28 p.m.
Going into a media timeout, FDU is up 19-16 with 11:50 remaining in the game. Williams leads the Knights with 10 with Jenkins adding five points in the first half.
2:20 p.m.
Williams hits another deep three-pointer. He has 10 points in the first half and is feeling it from the outside early on. FDU leads 15-11 with 14:55 remaining in the first half.
2:19 p.m.
Matt Okros hits a three to tie the game at nine a piece. Jahlil Jenkins answers back and gives the Knights the lead back, 12-9.
2:13 p.m.
FDU is up 9-6 with 16:16 remaining in the first half.
2:11 p.m.
Williams nails a three. He has a quick seven points for FDU, all the points for them thus far. Knights lead the Dragons, 7-3 with 17:06 remaining in the first half.
2:09 p.m.
Cameron Wynter opens up the scoring with a long three-pointer for Drexel. Elyjah Williams responds with two baskets of his own to give the Knights an early lead.
2:05 p.m.
FDU’s starting lineup is Jahlil Jenkins, Brandon Powell, Callum Baker, Elyjah Williams and John Square Jr.
Drexel’s starting lineup is Zach Walton, Camren Wynter, Mate Okros, T. J. Bickerstaff and James Butler.
1:49 p.m.
Hi everyone and welcome back to another men’s basketball live blog. Anthony Covino, sports editor for The Equinox, here with our fellow sports writer Charles Elmo. Producing the live blog today is our Editor-In-Chief Elizabeth Scalzo and our student lifestyle editor Naniyah McClain, who will be updating Twitter throughout the game.
This is the men’s first game in a week as both of the games at Saint Francis University (PA) were cancelled due to a positive COVID case in SFU’s program. FDU will host Drexel at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, NJ in another non-conference game where FDU is 5-6 against Drexel with their last meeting on Dec. 5, 2006 where FDU lost 80-58.
FDU is currently 1-5, 1-1 in NEC play while Drexel is 4-2 on the season. Elyjah Williams leads the Knights with 14.5 PPG and Jahlil Jenkins averaging 14.5 PPG as well, Brandon Rush averaging 13.8 PPG and Brandon Powell averaging 11 PPG so far this season. Standout freshman and two-time reigning NEC Rookie-of-the-Week, Joe Munden Jr. is averaging 8.5 PPG this season.
Drexel’s leading scorers are Camren Wynter with 18 PPG, James Butler with 12.8 PPG, T.J. Bickerstaff with 11.3 PPG and Zach Walton with 10 PPG.
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