Men's Basketball | November 28, 2017

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - The La Salle University men's basketball team heads to Northern Ireland to take part in the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic on Dec. 1-2. The Explorers will battle Towson on the opening day of the event, with the winner of that matchup taking on either Manhattan or Holy Cross for the title the following day. All games will be televised in the United States by CBS Sports Network, with Dave Ryan and Pete Gillen calling the action. An online audio broadcast featuring play-by-play commentator Kale Beers will also be available via Stretch Internet or the TuneIn Radio App.

NEWS & NOTES
•Redshirt junior Pookie Powell scored a career-high 29 points in La Salle's last outing, a thrilling 87-83 win over Temple at Tom Gola Arena on Sunday.
•The Owls entered the game with the No. 1 RPI in college basketball through the first two weeks of the season, having defeated the likes of Old Dominion, Auburn and Clemson.
•Trailing by one with under a minute remaining, Powell drilled a go-ahead three-pointer to give the Explorers a lead they would not relinquish.
•Senior B.J. Johnson also had a strong game, scoring 19 of his 25 points in the second half for his fifth 20-plus point effort of the year. 
•Johnson leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring (as of Nov. 28) at 22.1 points per game and also ranks third in the league in rebounding at 9.7/contest.
•La Salle shot above 90 percent from the free-throw line for the second consecutive game against Temple, going 14-of-15 overall and 13-for-14 in the second half. 
•As of Nov. 28, the Explorers rank third in the country in the category.
•Sophomore Saul Phiri had a strong overall floor game, tallying seven points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals against no turnovers in 35 minutes of play.
•The first and only time the Explorers made their way across the Atlantic Ocean was for an exhibition tour in the Czech Republic prior to the 2015-16 season.
•Seniors Amar Stukes, Tony Washington and Johnnie Shuler were all a part of the trip that saw La Salle go 4-0 against a variety of opponents in Prague.

SULLIVAN RETURNS TO HOME ISLE
•A native of Tralee, Ireland, redshirt freshman Cian Sullivan is making a homecoming of sorts this weekend at the Belfast Classic.
•Sullivan is expecting a large number of friends and family to make the five-hour drive from Tralee in County Kerry of Ireland to SSE Arena.
•The 7-2 freshman, who trained with the Irish National Team this summer, has played in four games this season for the Explorers.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
•Towson, who will be the first opponent for the Explorers at the Belfast Classic on Dec. 1, enter with a 6-1 record after having defeated Division III St. Mary's (Md.), 90-57, on Nov. 27.
•Zane Martin had 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the Tigers, and leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game.
•Martin is shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range and Towson as a team is connecting on 41.5 percent of its three-point field goals through seven games. 
•Towson and La Salle does have one common opponent, as each team has defeated Penn this year.
•The Tigers dispatched of the Quakers, 79-71, in their second game of the Florida Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 20-22. 
•Manhattan won its first two games of the year but have dropped four straight heading into this weekend's event.
•Rich Williams, who missed all of last season, is leading the team in scoring at 17.0 points per game.
•The Jaspers most recently dropped a 70-57 decision to Atlantic 10 opponent Fordham in the annual Battle of the Bronx on Nov. 26.
•Holy Cross also won its first two games of 2017-18 but lost three straight prior to the trip across the pond.
•Four players average in double figures for the Crusaders, led by 14.5 points from Karl Charles. 

LAST TIME WE MET...
•La Salle's first opponent at the Belfast Classic is Towson, and the Explorers hold a 4-1 record against the Tigers all-time.
•The last game came in 2015, with the Explorers coming away with a narrow 78-76 win in the season opener for both schools.
•Johnnie Shuler had 15 points in the win while Amar Stukes had six points and four assists.
•Two players currently on Towson's roster played in that game -- Mike Morsell (13 pts., 5 asts.) and Jordan McNeil (2 pts. in 10 min.).
•On Saturday, the Explorers could play either Manhattan or Holy Cross on the final day of the event.
•La Salle holds a 38-8 advantage over Manhattan all-time, with a number of those games coming during the time the Explorers played in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with the Jaspers.
•Manhattan earned a 99-90, overtime win over La Salle in the 2013-14 season opener at Gola Arena the last time these two schools squared off.
•Tyrone Garland had 28 points to lead the Explorers.
•The last time Holy Cross and La Salle played was 2006, with the Crusaders coming away with a 68-48 win.
•Rodney Green was one of two players in double figures with 10 points. Kyle Cruze had a team-high 15 points for HC.