BRONX, N.Y. - Junior B.J. Johnson scored 26 points and added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals to lead the La Salle University men's basketball team to a 67-52 win over Fordham on Wednesday. Johnson, who missed the game at George Mason due to injury, went 7-for-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range to improve the Explorers to 13-9 and 7-4 in the Atlantic 10.

La Salle jumped out to an early 8-1 lead, as Johnson connected on a three and junior Amar Stukes hit a short jumper in the spurt. Fordham pulled to within 10-8 before both teams began to struggle offensively. Neither team scored a point over a stretch of 3:05 before a three-pointer from freshman Saul Phiri put the score at 13-8 with 12:07 left in the half.

The home team responded by going on a 10-4 run to take a one-point lead at 18-17. The squads traded leads three times before a jumper from Johnson and a three from junior Johnnie Shuler pushed the Explorers in front, 25-21. Johnson connected on his second three of the half and Phiri hit a free throw to end the scoring in the first half and give La Salle a 32-26 at intermission. 

Eight straight points from Johnson to start the second propelled La Salle to a 42-26 advantage with 15:00 remaining. The Explorers used a strong defensive effort to grow their lead to as many as 27 points in the period. For the contest, Fordham shot 33.9 percent overall and just 9-for-27 on two-point attempts (33.3%).

With the margin at 47-34 midway through the second stanza, La Salle scored nine straight points and used a 19-5 run to put the game out of reach. The Explorer reserves were a big reason as they outscored Fordham's bench 17-0, with 10 of those coming from junior Tony Washington who matched his season high.

Javontae Hawkins led the Rams (10-14, 4-7 A10) with 18 points while Joseph Chartouney added 14. The Explorers won the contest despite missing starting guard Pookie Powell, who missed his fifth straight game due to injury.

La Salle returns home to Tom Gola Arena on Saturday, Feb. 11, to take on Richmond. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. A special ceremony honoring the five newest members of the La Salle University Hall of Athletes will take place at halftime.