Score: Drexel 71, UAlbany 52
 
Location: Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
Records: UAlbany (6-5) | Drexel (6-5)
 
Short Story: UAlbany men's basketball's first-ever matchup against Drexel ends in a 71-52 defeat in Philadelphia.
 
Key Stats

• Sebastian Thomas scored 10 points and recorded five assists
• Jonathan Beagle scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds
• Drexel outrebounded UAlbany 54-26
• Drexel outscored UAlbany 21-7 in second-chance opportunities

Head Coach Dwayne Killings: "I thought we were flat in the second half, and it's disappointing because I thought today was going to be a really good challenge for us against a good Drexel team.  They've played West Virginia tough and they beat Villanova.  Today was not our best effort.  We got our butts kicked on the glass, and I didn't prepare the team well enough for the physicality of the game.  Unfortunately, this effort was not our best.  We have to get back to practice."
 
How it Happened

• For the second-straight game, the University at Albany men's basketball program played a first-time opponent, and also for the second-straight game, by coincidence, that opponent came from Philadelphia.  Six days after playing Temple at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Great Danes paid a visit to Drexel.
• All three Great Danes who call Philadelphia home, Aaron Reddish, Ny'Mire Little, and Muneer Newton, got the start for UAlbany on Saturday.  Reddish made his second-straight and fourth overall appearance in the Great Danes' starting lineup this season, while Little made his third and Newton his second.
• Drexel scored the first points of the game, only to see the Great Danes go on a 5-0 run capped off by a three-pointer from Reddish to take an early lead.  The teams traded baskets over their ensuing possessions, with a three-pointer from Tyler Bertram tying the game at 12 with 13:03 remaining in the first half.
• The Dragons responded with an 11-0 run over the next five-and-a-half minutes to take a 23-11 lead.  Soon after, trailing 25-14, UAlbany closed within five off a layup from Amar'e Marshall with 1:13 to go before the break.  Drexel regrouped in the final minute and scored the last three points of the half.
• The Great Danes trailed 33-25 at halftime, having shot 31% from the floor, and just 23% from three in the first period.  Reddish and Marshall led the way for UAlbany with six points each, but Drexel was commanding the glass, outrebounding UAlbany 25-16.
• The Dragons opened the second half on a 7-0 run to take a 15-point lead, 40-25, less than two minutes after play restarted.  Jonathan Beagle ended Drexel's run with a layup, and-one, with 17:47 left following a Great Danes' timeout.
• With 14:47 remaining, Drexel took a 19-point lead, but a 7-0 run from UAlbany lasting nearly two minutes of game time closed the lead to 12.  Drexel quickly rebuilt their advantage, however, and hit a three to go up by 20 points, 57-37, with 9:13 remaining.
• The Dragons took their largest lead of the afternoon, 23 points, with 4:15 left in the game.  From there, one final burst from the Great Danes shrunk the Dragon's lead to 17, but UAlbany would come no closer, and ultimately fall by 19, 71-52.
• Drexel ended the game with a 54-26 advantage in rebounding, grabbing 19 offensive boards and converting their second-chance opportunities into a total of 21 points.  Sebastian Thomas and Marshall each finished with 10 points, while Beagle scored nine with eight rebounds.

Next: UAlbany hosts its final home game of 2023 on December 19 against Sacred Heart.