PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University men's basketball team built a 10-point second half lead but could not hold on in a 78-67 loss to Rhode Island at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center on Saturday. Sophomore David Beatty came off the bench to lead four Explorers in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• For the second straight game, La Salle put together a quality first 20 minutes and entered halftime with a 33-31 lead.
• The Rams led for the first eight minutes of action before the Explorers tied the game on the back of a three-point play by graduate student Pookie Powell at the 11:13 mark.
• Beatty knocked down a trifecta and freshman Jared Kimbrough converted on a layup to put La Salle in front, 21-16, with 8:27 on the clock.
• A three-pointer from junior Saul Phiri bumped the home team's lead to 29-23, before URI trimmed the margin to just two before intermission. 
• Six straight points to start the second half for the Explorers, including another three from Phiri, extended the lead to 39-31 with 17:54 to go.
• Junior Traci Carter knocked down a triple just past the 17-minute mark as La Salle constructed a 42-32 advantage.
• But Rhode Island responded with a 28-6 run over a stretch of 10 minutes to turn the tide.
• Jeff Dowtin had 15 points over the stretch, including a tough step-back three-pointer early in the run.
• The visitors led comfortably for the remainder of the game as they improved to 10-7 overall and 3-2 in Atlantic 10 play.
• La Salle suffered its fourth straight league loss and fell to 3-14 on the season (1-4 A-10).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Explorers had a better night from three-point range than their last outing against George Washington, going 10-for-22 from deep.
• Beatty led the charge with a 4-for-5 showing from three-point territory, while Phiri (3-6) also had a solid night shooting.
• URI finished the night converting 28 of its 49 field-goal attempts (57.1%), including 65.2 percent in the second half.
• The Rams also held a 44-34 advantage in the rebounding battle, with Cyril Langevine posting a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double.
• Phiri (12), Powell (11) and Kimbrough (11) all joined Beatty in the double-digit scoring club.
• For the seventh time in nine games, La Salle tallied double-digit steals with 11. Junior Isiah Deas led the way with three, while Carter and Powell each had two.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will trek to New York to take on Fordham in another Atlantic 10 showdown on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
• Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m., with all of the action available on ESPN+.