DAYTON, Ohio - Junior Clifton Moore knocked down an 18-foot jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining to propel the La Salle University men's basketball team to a thrilling 67-65 win over reigning Atlantic 10 champion Dayton (4-2, 0-1 A-10) on Wednesday evening. The victory was the first for the Explorers over Dayton at UD Arena in over 20 years (February 27, 1999) and snapped the Flyers' 20-game league winning streak. 

"It was a great team effort," head coach Ashley Howard said. "I feel like our guys have been staying focused on getting better all season. This was a great opportunity for us to play a tough team. We came in feeling like we were prepared. Our guys executed and played for each other, and we had some guys step up and make some huge plays in the second half."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Salle overcame a 16-2 deficit to start the game and was led by a blistering offensive performance in the second half.
• The Explorers shot 57.1 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes of the game, and went 6-for-12 from three-point range in the period.
• Sophomore Christian Ray began the second-half assault with three straight buckets for his team. The final one, a putback layup, brought the visitors to within 34-31 at the 18:14 mark.
• A three-pointer from sophomore Sherif Kenney started a 9-2 spurt that included two more triples by freshman Jhamir Brickus and sophomore Jack Clark. The run pushed La Salle in front for the first time at 40-38.
• Dayton scored eight straight points right after the brief lead, but the Explorers responded with seven consecutive to regain a one-point advantage.
• The two teams traded punches for the next three minutes, with La Salle extended its narrow margin to six at 60-54 with 8:17 on the clock.
• Both squads ratcheted up the defense from there, and the Flyers slowly whittled away at their deficit until finally tying the game on a three from Jalen Crutcher with 1:16 to go.
• Over the next minute, both teams squandered opportunities to take the lead before the Explorers capitalized on their final chance in the closing seconds.
• With the game tied at 65-all and 29.5 showing on the clock, sophomore Ayinde Hikim drove into the lane with time running down and dished a pass to Moore on the left wing.
• Moore took one dribble and calmly hit the jump shot to break the deadlock. The ensuing inbounds play was stolen by the Explorers to preserve the victory.
• Sophomore Sherif Kenney scored a team-high 14 points while classmate Jack Clark added 12 for La Salle. Mustapha Amzil led Dayton with 22 points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• La Salle shot 46 percent from the field for the game, and connected on nine three-pointers -- six of which came in the second half.
• Kenney scored 12 of his 14 points after intermission, while Clark tallied nine of his 12 in the second half.
• The La Salle bench was a key factor in the game, outscoring Dayton's 31-7. In addition to Kenney's output, Hikim had nine points and Ray added eight. Ray also added three steals.
• Moore just missed out on his first career double-double, tallying nine points and 10 rebounds. 

UP NEXT

• The Explorers continue the season on Saturday, Jan. 2 against Fordham.
• Tipoff from Tom Gola Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.