PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle University men's basketball team fell to George Mason at home on Saturday afternoon. A strong surge by the Patriots at the start of the second half proved too much for the Explorers to overcome. Senior Saul Phiri led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 5-of-7 from deep as La Salle dropped to 10-6 overall and 1-3 in Atlantic 10 play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first half got off to a back-and-forth start. La Salle took an early 5-0 lead, the Patriots countered with an eight-point run, after which the Explorers bounced back with five-straight points.
• George Mason claimed eight of the next ten points to go up 16-12, but then Phiri caught fire. La Salle's number 13 drained a jumper, hit a three less than a minute later, followed by a steal and layup to put the home side up three.
• After the visitors hit a jumper, freshman Christian Ray did his part to extend the Blue & Gold's advantage to 23-18. He got to the stripe and split the pair, then drove the lane and drew contact for an and one, netting the ensuing free throw for four points in just over 40 seconds.
• The Patriots stymied La Salle in the final three minutes with an 8-0 run. Over that stretch, George Mason went 2-of-3 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line.
• The away side opened the second frame on a mission, rattling off 14 consecutive points on a perfect five-of-five from the field in under three minutes.
• The Blue & Gold continued to battle and outscored the Patriots 34-27 over the final 12 minutes, finding plenty of production from beyond the arc (6-of-8 from three). Phiri and sophomore Ed Croswell combined for 17 points in the final 12 minutes.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Phiri tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 2-of-4 from deep in the firs thalf. His offensive output accounted for nearly half of the Explorers' 23 points.
• Phiri's second half was equally consistent, if not better. His nine points all came via the three ball (at a perfect 3-for-3 clip).
• Croswell was the other Explorer in double figures for the game, recording 10 points (3-of-5 from the field) and eight rebounds (five offensive). 
• La Salle's number 11 was a big reason why the Blue & Gold won the battle of the offensive boards, out-rebounding George Mason 17-7 at that end and 39-33 in total rebounds.
• La Salle's bench proved to be an aggressive component of the game, getting to the line 13 times and outscoring the Patriots' bench 23-6.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers hit the road for their next two conference contests. That stretch begins with Rhode Island next Saturday, followed by Richmond on the 22nd. They return home to host VCU on the 25th.