Men's Basketball | November 8, 2019

PHILADELPHIA - La Salle men's basketball opens the 2019-20 season on Saturday with a matchup against a familiar foe, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference member Iona. The contest is the second half of a Homecoming & Family Weekend doubleheader with the women's team and will begin at 4:00 p.m. The game will air live nationally on NBC Sports Network.

The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a free rally towel, courtesy of game sponsor TruMark Financial, and a schedule magnet, courtesy of City View Pizza. The Hideaway Tent, a location for fans to congregate for food and beverage just outside of Tom Gola Arena, is back again in 2019-20 and will open 90 minutes prior to tipoff.

NEWS & NOTES
•The game will begin the 90th season of La Salle men's basketball and marks the beginning of Year 2 for head coach Ashley Howard.
•From 1983-1992, La Salle and Iona were conference rivals in the MAAC, prior to the Explorers moving on to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
•In the final exhibition tune-up prior to the regular season, the Explorers defeated local opponent West Chester, 70-63, at Tom Gola Arena on Nov. 2.
•Junior David Beatty scored 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half while freshman Sherif Kenney made his unofficial debut for the Explorers and chipped in with 13 points.
•Another player making his debut in the Blue & Gold, junior transfer Scott Spencer, who sat out last year after coming to La Salle from Clemson, added 11 points off the bench.
•The game is the first of a difficult stretch for the Explorers to start the year, as three of the first four opponents made the NCAA Tournament last season (Iona, Temple, Murray State).
•The only opponent that did not was Penn, who won the Philadelphia Big 5 title in 2018-19 and defeated Alabama, 81-80, in its season opener on Tuesday.

SCOUTING IONA
•The defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion, the Gaels won their fourth straight MAAC title and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
•Iona is led by returning starters Tajuan Agee, E.J. Crawford, Asante Gist and Ben Perez.
•Agee and Crawford were Preseason All-MAAC First Team selections while Gist earned a spot on the second team.

SERIES HISTORY
•La Salle and Iona renew acquaintances after a six-year layoff on Saturday.
•The Explorers and Gaels used to be conference rivals in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, with La Salle holding a 13-5 record in conference play.
•Saturday marks just the second time the two schools have played one another since La Salle departed the MAAC for the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) in 1992-93.
•Overall, La Salle holds a 16-6 lead in the series and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings.

LAST MEETING
•The two teams last met on December 20, 2012, with La Salle posting an 88-74 win in a game that pitted two teams that would eventually advance to the NCAA Tournament.
•Tyrone Garland scored 26 points off the bench, while Ramon Galloway added 21 points and 10 assists.
•The Explorers shot 50.7 percent from the floor and held Iona to 5-for-23 (21.7%) from three-point range in the win.