FULLERTON, Calif. - Pookie Powell led a trio of Explorers in double figures with 23 points, but the La Salle University men's basketball team could not overcome a halftime deficit in a 91-74 loss to Northwestern in a consolation game of The Wooden Legacy on Friday afternoon. The Explorers fought to the finish, forcing 13 turnovers and outscoring the Wildcats in the second half, but came up short.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A three-pointer from Powell tied the score at 5-5 early in the game, but a 12-2 run by Northwestern that included a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays put the score at 17-7 with 15:56 left in the first half.
• Sophomore Miles Brookins, who scored 12 points in the game, had a three-point play of his own that cut the deficit to single digits before another 13-3 spurt by NW extended the margin to 30-13 with just under eight minutes remaining in the period.
• The Wildcats entered intermission with a 19-point lead after a three-pointer from Ryan Taylor capped the scoring in the stanza.
• NW shot 59.3 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes and dished out 13 assists on 16 made field goals, led by Taylor's 15 points and five assists.
• La Salle continued to battle and held Northwestern to 34.8 percent shooting in the second half.
• In contrast, the Explorers shot an impressive 53.8 percent from the field and received 15 second-half points from Powell.
• A three-pointer from the right corner by Brookins narrowed Northwestern's lead to 74-61 with just over five minutes remaining, but a fast-break dunk and a three-pointer on the next two Wildcat possessions swung momentum back in their favor.
• Traci Carter, who closed with seven assists and three steals, took the ball away from Northwestern guard Ryan Greer and converted in transition to bring La Salle within 85-74, but that is as close as the Explorers would get.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Free throws were a key to the game, as Northwestern went to the charity stripe 43 times and made 35 (81.4%).
• Vic Law went 14-for-16 from the charity stripe and scored 21 points, tying Taylor for team-high honors.
• Freshman Jared Kimbrough was the third La Salle player to register double figures with 10 points, marking the second straight game the 6-8 forward has hit double digits.
• Sophomore Jamir Moultrie brought energy off the bench and closed with nine points in 19 minutes of action.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will take on either Grand Canyon or Utah in the seventh-place game of The Wooden Legacy on Sunday, Nov. 25.
• Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m., and the contest will air digitally on ESPN3.