Penn fell to the Dragons, 61-59, in a game that the Quakers let slip out of their grasps as the clock wound down.

The two geographic rivals will face each other at the Palestra after a one-year hiatus. Drexel took the contest in 2010, 77-56.

While it’s understandable for coach Jerome Allen to be frustrated by two losses in as many day, the improvement Fran Dougherty has made since last season is something the coach has to be pleased with, if he’ll admit to it or not.

Penn fell to Fairfield 62-53 in a game in which the Quakers again failed to spread the wealth offensively. Fran Dougherty led the way for Penn with 31 points.

It’s hard to land a punch when every swing is aimless. That’s what the Penn men’s basketball team found out Monday night in its 84-69 loss to Delaware as the Quakers hacked, hacked, hacked away to the tune of 31 fouls. If there was a triple bonus, Delaware would have been in it.

Fouls were the theme in Penn basketball’s dismal loss to Delaware in the opening round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

An entire season was wasting away before the eyes of the Palestra crowd Friday night, and it was a moment of truth for the Quakers. Would they accept defeat and admit they had lost too much talent to their last graduating class? Would their season end before it had even started?

After a rough first half against UMBC, the young Penn team rallied back from a 22-point deficit to secure their first win of the season, 80-75.

For the second straight season, the Quakers will open their season against UMBC. Last year they took the contest, 59-45, in Catonsville, Md.

Predicted to finish fifth in the Ancient Eight in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll, the Quakers will face challenges in every league matchup.

It’s no surprise graduated Quakers have continued their professional playing careers abroad, where they are all doing what they love to do the most.

Per usual, the Quakers will take on the other four teams of the historic Philadelphia Big Five this season and the competition will be tough.

Jerome Allen and his staff bring in a talented four-man recruiting class this season and also return sophomore Greg Louis. With the loss of key seniors, these five players will have plenty of opportunity this season to show what they can do.

Penn needs to be challenged, sure, but the young squad also needs confidence. A softer schedule gives the Quakers a shot at both.

Polykoff, entering his first year as the volunteer assistant coach, comes to the Quakers following a highly successful five-year stint as head coach of local Friends’ Central School.

On a team without any seniors, Bowman is in many ways a leader that his players can look up to not just as a source of authority, but also as a role model.

First-year Penn assistant Scott Pera, who comes to Penn after five years as an assistant at Arizona State, has coached some of the biggest names in the business.