PHILADELPHIA, PA - It took not one, but two clutch defensive stands for the La Salle University men's basketball team to walk away with a thrilling, 53-52 overtime victory over Xavier on Senior Day at Tom Gola Arena.

 

The first came in regulation as Steven Smith (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) blocked two shots in the final five seconds to force overtime with the teams locked at 47-47.

 

After Smith hit the go-ahead bucket with :37 seconds to play in OT, junior Lewis Fadipe (Lagos, Nigeria/Forest Hill School) blocked two more shots in the final 10 seconds to preserve the Explorers' most exciting victory of the season.

 

Jermaine Thomas (Frederick, MD/Thomas Johnson) led all scorers with 16 points in 43 minutes of action.  Smith followed with 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and the three huge blocks in 44 minutes.

 

Dedrick Finn led Xavier with 15 points on 5-11 shooting.

 

The Explorers led for the entire first half.  Tabby Cunningham (Philadelphia, PA/St. John Neuman) got things started with a driving scoop, then found Darnell Harris (Baltimore, MD/St. Francis) for a corner three and a 5-0 lead.  That margin blossomed to 20-7 after Jermaine Thomas hit one of his three first-half treys.  

 

Xavier then answered by switching to a full-court, man-to-man defense.  They went on a 9-2 run to close the deficit to 22-16, and, despite ceding a driving lay-up to Thomas with:03 seconds remaining, they trailed just 33-27 at halftime. 

 

The Explorers will conclude their Atlantic 10 schedule on Saturday, March 5 when travel to Temple for a 4:00 P.M. tip-off.   

 

Notes: This was the Explorers' first victory over Xavier in their past 10 tries.

Senior Matt Smith was honored before the game and played the opening minute.