Men's Basketball | November 27, 2019

ESTERO, Fla. - After a last-second win over Wright State on Tuesday, the La Salle men's basketball team will square off against South Alabama in the title game of the Gulf Coast Showcase on Wednesday night. Tipoff from Hertz Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

NEWS & NOTES

• La Salle moved past a pair of postseason qualifiers from a season ago to advance to the championship game of the Gulf Coast Showcase, earning victories over defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Murray State and preseason Horizon League favorite Wright State.
• On Tuesday, sophomore Ed Croswell scored on a putback layup with less than a second remaining to give the Explorers a 72-70 win over the Raiders.
• Seven different players have put together double-digit scoring efforts through the first two games of the tournament, including a 17-point effort from freshman Brandon Stone against Wright State.
• Junior Scott Spencer has been a consistent performer for the Explorers, tallying 10 points against Murray State and 11 in the victory vs. Wright State.
• Spencer has made five three-pointers and La Salle has shot 44.9 percent (22-for-49) from distance through two games in Florida.
• In contrast, La Salle's opponents have made just 27.7 percent of their three-point attempts over two contests.
• The Explorers are in search of their second in-season tournament title in as many seasons, as they defeated Alabama A&M and Towson en route to the Boardwalk Battle championship in Atlantic City last December.

SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA

• The Jaguars have defeated Weber State and Miami (Ohio) on their path to the title matchup with the Explorers.
• In an 82-71 win over the RedHawks, Josh Ajayi had 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting for USA.
• Ajayi was joined in double figures by Chad Lott (20), Trhae Mitchell (14), Andre Fox (14) and Tyreke Locure (10). 
• Lott also added 10 rebounds in the win over Miami as the Jaguars outrebounded their opponent, 31-19.
• Ajayi, Mitchell and Herb McGee all started in South Alabama's last matchup with La Salle on Nov. 16, 2017 at Tom Gola Arena.
• The Explorers won that matchup, 81-73, with Isiah Deas (15 points) and Saul Phiri (14 points, 10 rebounds) both making key contributions for La Salle.