Men's Basketball | January 23, 2018

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University men's basketball team returns home for a matchup with Massachusetts on Wednesday evening. The game, which will begin at 7:00 p.m., will air live digitally on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network, with play-by-play commentator Kale Beers and analyst Rich Prendergast calling the action.

The coaching staffs for both teams will be taking part in the Coaches vs. Cancer "Suits & Sneakers" week, where coaches wear sneakers to raise awareness and funds to help cancer research.

Wednesday also marks our 'Dollar Night at Gola' promotion.  Hot dogs will be sold for all game for just $1, and a special ticket offering allows fans to purchase additional tickets for just $1 after buying a single ticket for full price.

NEWS & NOTES
•Senior B.J. Johnson scored a game-high 27 points as the Explorers fought back from an early 13-point deficit in their latest outing at Richmond on Jan. 20.
•Johnson went 12-for-21 from the floor and helped La Salle to a 52-42 lead around the midway point of the second half.
•The Spiders were able to overcome the double-digit deficit en route to the 81-74 win.
•La Salle was undone by 17 turnovers and a few defensive miscues that allowed Richmond to shoot 52.0 percent from the field. 
•Sophomore Isiah Deas also had a strong outing offensively for the Explorers, posting his sixth straight double-digit scoring game with 18 points.
•Deas also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds against the Spiders and is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game over his last six outings.
•La Salle shot 9-of-18 from three-point range against Richmond, marking the second time this season the Explorers have hit 50 percent or more from deep (Mercer, 16-29, 55.2%).
•The Explorers will look to avenge their loss to UMass two weeks ago, when they saw a 21-point second-half lead evaporate in a 86-79, overtime defeat.
•La Salle played the game in Amherst, Mass., without the services of B.J. Johnson, who missed the game due to an ankle injury.

SCOUTING UMASS
•The Minutemen enter the contest with an even 10-10 record overall, and are 3-4 in Atlantic 10 play.
•UMass fell to Saint Louis, 66-47, at Mullins Center on Jan. 20, and have dropped two straight games.
•Luwane Pipkins had a team-high 17 points but shot just 6-for-15 from the field against the Billikens, while Carl Pierre added 13.
•Pipkins ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 19.7 points per contest.
•The Minutemen are third in the league in three-point shooting percentage at 37.0%.