Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint did not play coy when he described Tavon Allen after his team’s first win, a 66-53 triumph over La Salle on the road (see Instant Replay).
“He’s been awful to this point,” Flint said with a smile. “I hate to say it that way but the kid hasn’t played good and we talk a lot about it.”
Allen came into Saturday shooting just 32.5 percent from the floor and struggling in all aspects this season.
After Allen dumped in 25 points on an efficient 7 for 11 shooting, Flint was happy to give credit where credit was due. Allen’s performance got the monkey off Drexel’s back.
“That was probably the best game he ever had as a Drexel player on both ends of the floor,” Flint said.
“I was just taking good shots,” Allen said. “That’s all they have been telling me to do is just take good, open shots and I feel like I did that today. I was more aggressive going to the basket, which got me to the line a little bit. I was just trying to do what [Flint] says, taking good shots and not taking bad shots like I have been.”
Allen also had the task of guarding the nation’s second-leading scorer coming into the game, Jordan Price. Price was averaging 27 points coming in, but was just 5 for 14 from the floor for 19 points Saturday. He was just 1 for 5 from beyond the arc, the only make coming on La Salle’s first possession.
“One thing I’ve always been able to count on is [Allen's] defense,” Flint said. “He played well. Price is a really good offensive player.
“We don’t want [Price] to shoot threes. We want him to drive at the basket, him, [Johnnie] Shuler and [Cleon] Roberts. Make them move their feet to score instead of shooting set shots.”
The Drexel defense, led by Allen, held La Salle (4-3) in check all day long. The Explorers shot just 40.7 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc. The 53 points they scored is their lowest total this season.
“I don’t think in my lifetime I have done a worse job in coaching,” La Salle coach Dr. John Giannini said after Saturday's loss. “I don't think we are where we should be as individuals or as a team, and that’s completely on me.”
Allen, along with forward Rodney Williams, played a large part in being able to fend off any push La Salle made to get the lead back in the second half. Williams had arguably his best game of the year, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Fending off that push from an opponent is something that Drexel had failed to do before Saturday. The only game the Dragons did not have a chance to win in the second half was against UNC Asheville on Nov. 27, an 85-66 loss.
In the other five losses, Flint said they cracked under pressure.
“In the heat of the game, we had a couple minutes here and there, we didn’t crack,” Flint said. “In the other games, teams came back on us and that was it, it was over. Next think you know we’re down by five or down by eight. Today they came back on us and we sort of fended them off.”
Drexel's win Saturday was its first win over the Explorers since 1997. It seems it wasn’t a second too soon.
“We needed to win a game before I killed somebody,” Flint said with a chuckle.