Men's College Basketball
Preview
Penn St. at Drexel
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 21, 2024
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Penn State takes its high-octane offense on the road Saturday when it visits Drexel in Philadelphia.

The Nittany Lions (9-2) rank in the top 10 nationally in points per game (89.6), field-goal percentage (51.6), steals (10.5) and assists (19.3). The program's best 11-game start since 2019-20 is led by dynamic point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. and a variety of talented shooters.

Baldwin averages 8.7 assists -- third in the nation -- and is coming off a school-record 16-assist performance in last Saturday's 99-51 win over Coppin State. Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 14 points, while Zach Hicks, Jahvin Carter, D'Marco Dunn and Dominick Stewart each made multiple 3-pointers.

"Ace would rather have an assist than a basket, but he does both," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said of the senior, who also averages 14.1 points while shooting 93.0 percent from the foul line. "He's been setting the table for his teammates and he did that at such a high level today. Over 700 career assists is no small feat."

Rhoades is excited for the potential to display his improving program to the Philadelphia crowd.

"To get back in the Philly area, we're going to recruit that area all the time and we have some guys from down there as well," Rhoades said.

Drexel (8-4) has won three straight games, most recently a 68-65 road victory over Howard on Tuesday. Jason Drake scored a career-high 21 points, while Yame Butler chipped in 16 points.

"The margin (between) success/relief and losing/misery -- however you want to define it -- is razor thin," Dragons coach Zach Spiker said.

Kobe MaGee, who is Drexel's leading scorer at 15.3 points per game, has struggled with his shooting in three of the last four contests. He shot 3 of 10 against Howard, finishing with nine points to go with five rebounds and four assists.

The Nittany Lions are 6-0 all-time against the Dragons, although the teams have not met since 2015.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Neutral Day Night Conf
Penn St. 9-2 W1 7-0 0-1 2-1 3-1 6-1 1-1
Drexel 8-4 W3 2-2 4-1 2-1 4-2 4-2 0-0
Last Meeting
Penn St. Drexel
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
12/19/15 PSU 63 DREX 57 63 35 39.0 57 28 30.2
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Penn St. P. Banks 20 43.8 5
Drexel T. Allen 18 40.0 5
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Penn St. J. Reaves 7 1 6
Drexel K. Abif 5 2 3
Assists Player  
Penn St. S. Garner 2
Drexel K. Abif 2
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Penn St. A. Baldwin Jr. 155 40.6 53
Drexel K. Magee 184 48.2 18
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Penn St. Y. Niederhauser 65 21 44
Drexel C. Hargrove 108 42 66
Assists Player  
Penn St. A. Baldwin Jr. 96
Drexel J. Drake 34
Quickchart Matchup
blue bar Penn St. Off vs  red bar Drexel Defense
blue bar 89.6 Points For
red bar 67.8 Points Against
blue bar 51.6 FG%
red bar 42.2 FG%
blue bar 33.9 Reb
red bar 27.8 Reb
red bar Drexel Off vs  blue bar Penn St. Defense
red bar 71.3 Points For
blue bar 67.4 Points Against
red bar 46.4 FG%
blue bar 42.0 FG%
red bar 34.3 Reb
blue bar 29.0 Reb