GAME NOTES: A couple of programs from the City of Brotherly Love get together on Monday night, as the Drexel Dragons welcome the Hawks of Saint Joseph's to the Daskalakis Center.

The Hawks, who are led by head coach Phil Martelli, now in his 20th season with the program, opened the 2014-15 campaign on a sour note as they bowed to Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday night at home in a 58-57 final. The schedule doesn't get any easier for Saint Joseph's though, as the team heads to the Pacific Northwest to challenge the nationally-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the Dragons are also coming off a defeat to begin the campaign, bowing to the Colorado Buffaloes out in Boulder by a score of 65-48 on Friday night as well. Later this week, Drexel will head to South Carolina to take part in the Charleston Classic, facing Miami right out of the gate.

As far as the all-time series between these squads is concerned, the Hawks are in complete command with 45 wins in 54 opportunities. Saint Joseph's has won 20 of the last 24 encounters, including three straight now that the schools play on their respective campuses instead of at The Palestra.

The Hawks were in the lead down the stretch against Fairleigh Dickinson, but a 3-pointer by the visitors with 3.3 seconds left on the game clock doomed the hosts. Isaiah Miles shot only 5-of-14 from the floor, including 1-of-4 from behind the 3-point line, but still he played a major role for the Hawks in the opener as he registered a double-double consisting of 12 points and a game- high 14 rebounds, eight of those boards coming at the offensive end of the floor. Chris Wilson pitched in with 12 points and six boards, but he converted only 2-of-7 out on the perimeter, the team finishing 5-of-20 on the outside. It also didn't help that the Hawks turned the ball over 16 times and connected on just 8-of-14 at the free-throw line in the close call.

Through the first 20 minutes of their season opener at the Coors Events Center, the Dragons made a total of just nine field goals and while six of those came down from 3-point range, the visitors still limited their chances of competing with the Buffs. Unfortunately, the night only got worse after the intermission when Drexel converted a mere 7-of-26 from the floor, including 1- of-11 out on the perimeter, en route to the lopsided defeat.

Only one starter scored in double figures as Damion Lee dropped in 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting before fouling out, while Tavon Allen accounted for 16 points off the bench, but his 5-of-17 accuracy was also an issue. As a unit, the Dragons finished at 29.1 percent from the floor and had almost as many turnovers (12) as field goals (16).

Being back on the East Coast should give the Dragons a bit of a lift, but if history is any indication of how this meeting will turn out, expect another tally in the loss column, Drexel.