Men's Basketball | November 11, 2019

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Big 5 season begins on Wednesday night when Penn hosts La Salle at the Palestra. The Explorers (1-0) are looking for their second straight win to open the year while the Quakers (1-1) will return home after spending the first week of the season away from Philadelphia. The contest will air live on ESPN+ beginning at 7:00 p.m.

NEWS & NOTES
•In an odd scheduling twist, the Explorers will be the opening Big 5 game for three different opponents this year -- Penn, Villanova and Temple.
•The Quakers snapped Villanova's 25-game winning streak against Philadelphia Big 5 foes and won the title last season.
•In the season opener for La Salle, junior David Beatty scored a team-high 15 points and was the lone player to make a field goal in overtime of a 70-64 victory.
•Defense was a key factor in the win over Iona, as the Explorers held the Gaels to 30.0 percent shooting and 0-for-6 in the extra period.
•Freshman Brandon Stone came off the bench to provide a spark, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the first half. Stone also added six boards and two blocked shots.
•Sophomore Ed Croswell was the third La Salle player to reach double figures in the scoring column with 12 points.
•Junior Scott Spencer, who made his Explorer debut after sitting out last season following a transfer from Clemson, had nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.

SCOUTING PENN
•The Quakers opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, edging Southeastern Conference member Alabama, 81-80, in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 5.
•First-year player Jordan Dingle scored a team-high 24 points and hit the game-winning shot with 7.5 seconds left in his Penn debut.
•Dingle was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week after averaging 22.0 points over two games.
•Senior AJ Brodeur was a First Team All-Ivy League player last season and is averaging 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per outing for the Quakers, who most recently dropped an 80-61 road decision at Rice.

SERIES HISTORY
•In a Philadelphia Big 5 series that dates back to 1934, the Quakers hold a 41-31 lead in the all-time series and has won three of the last four meetings.
•Last year, Penn shot 57.4 percent from the floor and had 25 assists on 31 made field goals in an 83-54 victory.
•David Beatty was the only Explorer to score in double figures as he scored 14 points off the bench.
•La Salle scored just 21 points in the first half but rebounded to tally 44 in the second half.
•The win helped propel Penn to the Philadelphia Big 5 title.

PERFECT 10
•In La Salle's season-opening win over Iona, head coach Ashley Howard went to his bench with no hesitation.
•Ten players -- all 10 scholarship players available to play -- played at least 11 minutes and all but one found the scoring column.
•The Explorers held a 22-12 edge in bench scoring including freshman Brandon Stone, who scored 12 points in his La Salle debut.