PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University men's basketball team fought back from a 10-point halftime deficit to tie Saint Louis with five minutes remaining in Saturday's Atlantic 10 matchup at Tom Gola Arena. The Billikens, who were selected the preseason favorite to win the A-10 prior to the year, made five of their next six shots to help earn a 71-64 win over the Explorers.

"Our guys are playing with a lot of spirit, and I'm proud of the effort - in particular on the defensive end," head coach Ashley Howard said. "We still can get better. We have a lot of room for improvement, but I do think we're getting better. It's always disappointing to lose, especially close games. But a lot of teachable points that we can use from this game to keep getting better. The best part about this team is that our effort is there, our commitment to getting better is there. We just have to keep chipping away at this rock, eventually it is going to break for us."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Salle jumped out to an early 7-6 lead thanks to five points from junior Isiah Deas, who knocked down a three and hit a short jumper off a feed from classmate Traci Carter.
• After SLU scored to go ahead by one, Deas picked up his second foul of the opening period and was forced to sit for the final 13:26 of the half.
• The Billikens scored the next seven points following the foul, building a 15-7 advantage at the 11:03 mark.
• Freshman Jack Clark sparked the Explorers with five points in a 8-0 run that knotted the contest at 15-15. Clark finished with 14 points, including a 4-for-8 showing from the field.
• With the score again tied at 18-18, Saint Louis scored 13 straight points to build a double-figure cushion that it would take into intermission. 
• KC Hankton knocked down two three-point field goals during the run, his only two makes of the game.
• Trailing 37-27 to start the second half, La Salle came out and quickly cut the deficit to 43-37 following a short jumper from graduate student Pookie Powell.
• The margin remained six at the 11-minute mark when freshman Jared Kimbrough threw down a two-handed jam to pull the Explorers closer.
• Kimbrough was credited with a steal on the ensuing inbounds pass and a traditional three-point play from sophomore David Beatty brought the Explorers within one at 50-49.
• The contest remained nip-and-tuck over the final 10 minutes, with Saint Louis building a five-point cushion with 6:30 remaining after a layup by Fred Thatch Jr. 
• La Salle continued to battle, and a three-pointer from Deas with just over five minutes left tied the game at 58-58.
• The tie was shortlived, however, as Jordan Goodwin drove for a basket at the other end and a steal and layup by Hasahn French gave the visitors a four-point lead.
• From there, the Explorers had opportunities down the stretch to tie or take the lead but could not quite get over the hump in falling to 3-12 on the year and 1-2 in league play.
• With the win, Saint Louis improves to 12-4 overall and 3-0 in the Atlantic 10.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Deas and Clark each had 14 points to lead the Explorers, while Powell closed with 12 points - nearly six off his season average. 
• Saint Louis entered as the league's top rebounding team and took advantage of 12 offensive boards that led to 16 second-chance points.
• The Billikens also had a 38-24 points in the paint advantage, with French leading the charge with 12 points.
• La Salle shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and outscored SLU, 37-34, in the period.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers continue their three-game homestand with an Atlantic 10 contest against George Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. 
• The La Salle women's team will host the Colonials in the first half of the doubleheader at Tom Gola Arena, beginning at 5:30 p.m. 
• Both games will air live digitally on ESPN+.