You could pick from any number of moments to symbolize the first game of Saturday's Big 5 Classic.
Maybe it was one of La Salle forward Steven Smith's sweet mid-range jump shots when he scored six straight points for the Explorers, or a put-back dunk by Drexel center Frank Elegar to keep the score close.
The fans who like their basketball gritty would probably go for the scrum over a loose ball that took place just before halftime, with five players converging on center court.
Whatever your choice, this was a textbook City Series game. In the end, Smith's 26 points -- including two strong drives to the basket in the final 1:32 -- and 15 rebounds were the main reason why the Explorers were able to pull away for a 62-50 win.
"I'm extremely pleased," La Salle coach John Giannini said. "I really feel like we beat a quality opponent."
Drexel coach Bruiser Flint, though, was not as happy -- mainly because the Dragons (3-5) shot only 36.1 percent from the field.
"We must have had at least six layups that -- I don't know what to say -- we missed them."
Smith's effort led to a chant of "Mardy's better!" --referring to Owls guard Mardy Collins -- from the Temple students in the crowd, who were awaiting their team's game against Penn.
Collins and Smith are both projected to be picked for the next NBA draft, and nearly two-dozen scouts were on press row to watch them play.
Smith said afterwards that he did not care about the scouts as much as the fans of La Salle (4-0) who watched his first-ever win in the Palestra.
"I really didn't pay attention to who was here, except for our fans," he said. "I looked in our section, and it was packed blue and gold all around."
There was still plenty of camaraderie to go around, such as when Drexel's Bashir Mason and La Salle's Darnell Harris shook hands with 20 seconds to go in the game. It was a symbol of the respect and friendship built not only in the Palestra on this day, but in gyms across the city all year.
