PHILADELPHIA - Junior guard David Beatty scored 16 of his game-high 19 points after halftime as the La Salle University men's basketball team finished its preseason with a 70-63 win over West Chester at Tom Gola Arena on Saturday afternoon. Beatty was joined in double figures by freshman Sherif Kenney (13) and junior Scott Spencer (11), who both made their unofficial debut with the Explorers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A slow start offensively was mitigated by a defensive effort that held West Chester to just 30.3 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
• Freshman Christian Ray knocked down a three-pointer with 2:24 left in the first half to cap a 13-0 run and give the Explorers a one-point lead.
• The lead remained the same entering the second half, but the Rams scored the first five points of the period to take a 32-28 advantage with 19:23 on the clock.
• Sophomore Ed Croswell slammed home a dunk off a dish from freshman Ayinde Hikim, and Beatty drained a trifecta to spark a 7-0 spurt and propel La Salle in front again, 35-32.
• Beatty and Kenney each made a three as part of a 10-2 run over a span of 2:09 that bumped the cushion to 48-39 at the 11:24 mark.
• West Chester did not go down without a fight, and consecutive three-pointers from Kyle McGee and Robbie Heath put the Golden Rams up, 53-50, with 6:46 remaining.
• Another three from Beatty tied the game on the ensuing possession, and the junior scored eight of his team's next 12 points to put the score at 63-62 in favor of La Salle with 1:28 left.
• After a defensive stop by the Explorers, senior Isiah Deas banked home a 40-footer with the shot clock running down to give the team a lead it would not relinquish.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• After shooting 34.5 percent from the field in the first half, the Explorers increased that number by over 10 percentage points (44.8%) in the second.
• Croswell and Spencer each had a team-high eight rebounds and La Salle outboarded the top offensive rebounding team in NCAA Division II last season by a 43-42 margin.
• Beatty's 19 points came in just 16 minutes of play, and the 6-2 guard was ultra efficient (6-9 FG, 4-6 3PFG) in his effort.
• Robbie Heath and Malik Jackson combined for 30 points to lead West Chester, who won 22 games last year and advanced to the NCAA D2 Tournament.

UP NEXT

• La Salle opens the 2019-20 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 9 with its Homecoming Weekend game against Iona at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center.
• Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. and is part of a doubleheader with the women's team, who hosts Robert Morris at 12:00 p.m.
• The men's game will air live on NBC Sports Network. Tickets are on sale by calling 215-951-1999 or by visiting goexplorers.com/tickets.