FULLERTON, Calif. - Sophomore forward Miles Brookins scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, for the La Salle University men's basketball team in an 82-70 loss to Grand Canyon at The Wooden Legacy on Sunday. Despite an intense defensive effort that saw the Explorers force 18 turnovers, La Salle could not get untracked on the offensive end and shot 30.4 percent from the floor in defeat.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Salle used a swarming defense to hold the Antelopes to 27.3 percent shooting through the game's first eight minutes.
• A three-pointer from junior Isiah Deas, who led his team with 22 points, put the Explorers on top by a 9-8 margin at the 12:32 mark of the first half.
• GCU responded with a game-changing, 17-0 run to take control.
• During the span of nearly nine minutes, La Salle went 0-for-13 from the field and committed three turnovers.
• A layup by graduate student Pookie Powell broke the dry spell for the Explorers, who despite the extended drought went into halftime trailing by just 11 at 31-20.
• A three-pointer by Grand Canyon's Trey Drechsel upped the team's lead to 34-21, before La Salle responded with a quick 6-0 spurt that brought the Explorers to within 36-29.
• The deficit remained seven at the 15:13 mark of the period, following another three from Deas.
• After a stop at the defensive end, Deas had an opportunity to bring La Salle even closer but could not connect on a three-point attempt.
• Every time the Explorers made a push to gain momentum, the Antelopes had an answer.
• A three from La Salle sophomore David Beatty put the score at 47-40 with 12:38 on the clock, before five straight points from GCU put the difference back to double figures.
• The spread remained at nine points or more for the remainder of the game as Grand Canyon improved to 4-3 on the year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Powell closed with 15 points for La Salle, who was without the services of graduate student Cheddi Mosely (upper body injury).
• Brookins' double-double was the first of his La Salle career, and his 10 rebounds was also a career high. Brookins also set a new career mark for minutes played in a game (32).
• Alessandro Lever, the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, had 17 points and 10 rebounds for GCU.
• Redshirt junior Traci Carter led La Salle with five assists in 34 minutes played.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers return to Philadelphia for a showdown with defending national champion Villanova at The Palestra on Saturday, Dec. 1.
• Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m., with the game airing live on ESPN2.
• Tickets remain available for this game and can be purchased by visiting goexplorers.com/buytickets, or by calling 215-951-1999.