Men's Basketball | December 31, 2019

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle men's basketball team (9-3) rings in the New Year with its Atlantic 10 opener on Thursday night with a matchup against #20 Dayton (11-2) at Tom Gola Arena. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m., and the contest will be televised live nationally on CBS Sports Network. Joel Godett and Michael O'Donnell will have the call. A live audio broadcast, featuring La Salle play-by-play announcer Kale Beers, will be available online through the TuneIn Radio App and Stretch Internet Radio.

NEWS & NOTES
•The Explorers closed out the non-conference season as the hottest team in the A-10, winning their last five games and eight of the last nine.
•This past Saturday, sophomore Jared Kimbrough scored a career-high 16 points on his 20th birthday as La Salle defeated Bucknell, 71-59, at The Palestra.
•Kimbrough converted five of his six field-goal attempts and hit 6-of-7 from the free-throw line in 20 minutes of action.
•Three other Explorers reached the double-digit point plateau, with Isiah Deas (15 pts.) scoring in double figures for the fourth straight game.
•Defense has been a key ingredient to La Salle's 9-3 start, as the team ranks atop the Atlantic 10 standings in field goal percentage defense (38.9%) and ranks 54th nationally (as of Dec. 31).
•Against the Bison, freshman Ayinde Hikim was a catalyst at both ends of the floor, pilfering five steals while also dishing out a career-high seven assists.
•Over his last four games, Hikim is averaging 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 22.3 minutes per game off the bench.

SCOUTING DAYTON
•The Flyers posted an 11-2 non-conference record and currently rank 18th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 20th in the Associated Press poll.
•Redshirt sophomore Obi Toppin is averaging 19.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game to lead the team in both categories.
•The only two Dayton losses this season have come in overtime games against No. 3 Kansas and Colorado, both on neutral-site floors.
•Four other players average in double figures and the team is shooting 53.1% from the field to lead the A-10 and rank first nationally.

LAST TIME RANKED DAYTON CAME TO GOLA...
•You don't have to look far to find the last time a ranked Dayton team came to Tom Gola Arena to face the Explorers.
•On Jan. 9, 2016, the 12-2 Flyers were ranked No. 25 in the nation and would eventually go on to earn a #7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
•All five La Salle starters scored in double figures that night, including 17 from Jordan Price, as the Explorers came away with a 61-57 win.
•Only six players saw the floor for La Salle, with Cleon Roberts and Amar Stukes playing the full 40 minutes.

BIRTHDAY BOY COMES THROUGH
•Sophomore Jared Kimbrough came through in a big way on his 20th birthday Saturday against Bucknell.
•The 6-8 forward scored a team-high 16 points and registered two blocked shots in a 71-59 win.
•Kimbrough had eight points in each half, including an emphatic dunk midway through the second half.
•The Neptune, N.J. native leads the team in blocked shots (10), good for 13th in the A-10.