SAINT LOUIS, Mo. - The La Salle University men's basketball team was held to 30.2 percent shooting and to a season-low 49 points in a 62-49 road loss at Saint Louis on Saturday evening. The Explorers, who entered as the top three-point shooting team in the Atlantic 10, was held to 18.5 percent from beyond the arc in the defeat.

"Tough loss against a very disciplined and veteran Saint Louis team," head coach Ashley Howard said. "I thought they did a great job of attacking the paint, in particular Tramaine Isabell. He did a great job of getting to the rim and was the difference in the game. I thought our guys, as usual, battled. We were down and cut into their lead, and then we lost it towards the end. It's definitely a game we can learn from. I'm proud that our guys battled but I want us to maintain our commitment to defending and rebounding for 40 minutes. I thought at times tonight we let that slip."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The contest started and finished as a defensive battle that featured just 17 total points scored through the first eight minutes of action.
• A three-pointer from Tramaine Isabell Jr. put the Billikens in front, 11-6, with 12:56 remaining.
• Trailing by six, back-to-back three-pointers from junior Saul Phiri tied the game at 14-14 with 8:13 on the clock.
• An offensive rebound and putback dunk from freshman Ed Croswell gave the Explorers an 18-17 lead with 5:45 left in the first half.
• Saint Louis would score nine straight points from there, and took a 26-20 lead into intermission.
• La Salle pulled to within two points following a free throw from Jared Kimbrough at the 17:59 mark, but SLU took control from there.
• The Billikens extended their lead to double figures for the first time at 36-26, as Isabell Jr. scored four points during the eight-point spurt.
• The Explorers fought back, as four straight points by sophomore Miles Brookins cut the deficit to 36-32 with 11:53 remaining.
• A jumper from Powell once again brought La Salle to within four at 43-39, and a layup from Croswell pulled the visitors closer with 5:56 on the clock
• But a key offensive foul call as the Explorers had possession with an opportunity to tie, and six straight points by the Billikens turned the tides.
• From there, SLU built a double-digit lead and pulled away late to improve to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in A-10 play.
• The loss drops the Explorers to 6-6 in league competition and 8-16 overall.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• La Salle shot just 5-for-27 from three-point range despite four made threes from Phiri, who closed with a team-high 12 points.
• SLU shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the second half and won despite a dismal 48.1 percent performance from the free-throw line.
• Croswell closed with the second double-double of his career (10 points, 14 rebounds) and has now had double-figure rebounding performances in four of his last six games.
• Isabell Jr. concluded with 23 points and 10 rebounds for Saint Louis.

UP NEXT

• La Salle continues its brief two-game road swing with a trip to Olean, N.Y. to take on St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
• Tipoff from the Reilly Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and all of the action can be seen on ESPN+.