PHILADELPHIA - Graduate student Pookie Powell registered 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds, but the La Salle University men's basketball team fell to Drexel, 89-84, on Saturday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. The Dragons went to the free-throw line 40 times, including a 14-16 performance from Troy Harper, who led all scorers with 24.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The opening 20 minutes of the contest were nip and tuck, as neither team was able to take control.
• A dunk from sophomore Miles Brookins and a tip-in from freshman Ed Croswell bumped La Salle in front, 11-8, at the 12:55 mark.
• Four straight from Harper and a layup by Camren Wynter comprised a 6-0 spurt that gave the Dragons a three-point lead.
• The back-and-forth continued until the close of the period, when Drexel scored eight of the last 10 points to open up a 35-29 advantage.
• Sophomore David Beatty, coming off a 13-point performance against Florida, had seven points in the first stanza for the Explorers.
• The two teams went on a scoring spree in the second half, combining for 109 points and shooting 53.1 percent.
• La Salle shot 55.6 percent overall and 8-for-17 from three-point range, but committed 16 fouls after halftime that led to 27 free throws by Drexel.
• Harper was the main beneficiary, going 11-for-12 from the charity stripe and scoring 17 of his 24 points during the period.
• The lead rose to 10 following a free throw by James Butler at the 19:19 mark.
• The Explorers fought back and evened up the game at 55-55 following a three-pointer by junior Isiah Deas with 8:57 on the clock.
• With the contest still tied less than a minute later, a flagrant foul call on La Salle gave the Dragons two free throws and on the ensuing possession, a three-pointer by Trevor John completed the five-point possession and swung momentum in the visitors' favor.
• Drexel held La Salle at bay the rest of the way, improving to 2-2 on the year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• La Salle won the battle of the boards for the first time this season, outrebounding Drexel, 37-35. 
• Croswell pulled down nine rebounds, including four offensive, while classmate Jared Kimbrough had five offensive rebounds and seven overall.
• Graduate student Cheddi Mosely came off the bench to spark the Explorers, scoring 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
• Deas also added 13 points while Beatty was the fourth player in double figures for La Salle with 11.
• Alihan Demir tallied 21 points, had seven rebounds and dished out five assists for the Dragons.

UP NEXT

• La Salle travels to California for the Wooden Legacy Tournament on Nov. 22-25. 
• The Explorers will face Miami (Fla.) in the opening round of the event on Thanksgiving Day, with the contest airing live on ESPNU beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT).