Men's Basketball | December 12, 2019

PHILADELPHIA - La Salle men's basketball opens up a five-game homestand on Saturday afternoon with a non-conference matchup against Morgan State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., with the Hideaway Tent opening 90 minutes before the start, right outside TruMark Financial Center.

The Explorers will be holding a Holiday Toy & Coat Drive at each of the next three games (Dec. 14 vs. Morgan State, Dec. 18 vs. Wagner, Dec. 21 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson). Bring a gently worn coat or a new, unwrapped toy and receive a discount on a ticket to a future game.

NEWS & NOTES
•The team's next three contests will be played at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center, before the Explorers square off against Bucknell at The Palestra.
•The final game of the stretch is the Atlantic 10 opener against nationally-ranked Dayton on Jan. 2, which is scheduled to be televised live on CBS Sports Network.
•One week ago, La Salle took a short trip to Drexel and took home its first road victory of the year, 71-63.
•Five players scored in double figures for the second time this season, led by 14 points from junior David Beatty.
•Freshman Ayinde Hikim was a catalyst off the bench, registering 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a key drive down the stretch that held the Dragons at bay.
•Junior Scott Spencer had 11 points and knocked down three three-pointers, extending his season-opening streak of hitting at least one three per game.
•Spencer also had a team-high seven rebounds and ranks among the A-10's leaders in three-point field goal percentage (44.4%).
•Senior Saul Phiri had 12 points against Drexel, knocking down two of his four three-point attempts. Phiri leads the team and ranks sixth in the league with a 47.4 3-pt. FG%.

SCOUTING MORGAN STATE
•The Bears snapped a five-game losing skid on Dec. 7 with a 73-65 victory over Longwood. 
•Stanley Davis, a Chester, Pa. native, had a team-high 18 points against the Lancers.
•Davis averaged 13.3 points per game to pace Morgan State, with Sherwyn Devonish also scoring in double figures at 10.7 ppg.
•One of Morgan State's four wins came against George Washington on Nov. 16.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. THE BEARS
•The sixth meeting between La Salle and Morgan State men's basketball will take place on Saturday, with the Explorers holding a 4-1 record.
•The Explorers have won the last three meetings, including the most recent matchup in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2013.
•The two teams played each other in three straight seasons from 2006-08, with the Bears earning a 93-87 win in the lone contest played in Baltimore.
•In the contest at Tom Gola Arena in 2010, Aaric Murray set the program record with nine blocked shots in a 79-74 win.

HOME SWEET HOME
•La Salle will play five straight designated home games beginning Saturday with a contest against Morgan State.
•The home stretch is the longest since the Explorers played five consecutive games at Tom Gola Arena from Dec. 12 through Jan. 2 of the 2010-11 season.
•While the Explorers are just 1-1 at home on this young season, the team is 80-43 (.650) in home games since 2010-11.
•The only caveat with the five straight is that the team will play the fourth of five games against Bucknell as the designated home team at The Palestra.