Watch: La Salle, Drexel Break Down Big 5 Classic Matchup

La Salle Men’s Basketball won the fifth-place game in the 2025 Big 5 Classic on Saturday, Dec. 6, taking down the Drexel Dragons 69-64 at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Explorers held a 19 point lead after 20 minutes, holding Drexel to an 0-for-16 shooting run late in the first half.

The Dragons managed to make a game of it, outscoring La Salle 42-28 in the second half, but weren’t able to make up for lost ground. After the game, Drexel head coach Zach Spiker and La Salle head coach Darris Nichols talked about their relationship dating back to the early 2000s, when Spiker recruited Nichols to West Virginia during his time as a graduate assistant. Dragons forward Victor Panov also made a media appearance, as did two Explorers, guard Jaeden Marshall and forward Josiah Harris.

The two teams discussed the significance of the Big 5 amidst a turbulent era of college sports and broke down their respective hot and cold streaks. Here’s what they had to say.