WASHINGTON, D.C. - The La Salle University men's basketball team battled back from a slow start and used a total team effort to defeat George Washington, 72-62, at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday.
Freshman
Sherif Kenney, a native of Washington, D.C., led a trio of Explorers in double figures with 13 points, while sophomore
Ed Croswell tallied 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Colonials opened the game on a 10-2 run, including three pointers from Maceo Jack and Jamison Battle.
- La Salle responded with a 14-3 spurt, and pushed the advantage to 39-21 after a dunk by sophomore Jared Kimbrough.
- The Explorers shot 57.1 percent from the field in the first half, with the bench leading the way.
- Kimbrough, Kenney, senior Saul Phiri and junior David Beatty combined to shoot 10-for-12 and outscored GW's reserves, 23-4.
- The second stanza saw the home team come all the way back and take a one-point lead following three free throws by Jack.
- Showing resilience on the road, La Salle responded with eight straight points including four from Kenney at the free-throw line to regain a 52-45 lead.
- GW continued to hang close, and brought margin to two at 57-55 with 5:38 to go.
- Croswell went to work from there, scoring 10 straight points for his team to answer every bucket by the Colonials.
- The 6-8 forward knocked down four critical free throws down the stretch to help the Explorers secure their second straight victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- La Salle shot 50.0 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three-point range, marking the first time this season they have been above the 50-percent threshold in both categories.
- Beatty was the third Explorer to register double figures in scoring with 10, including a rim-rattling dunk in the first half.
- The two teams combined for 45 fouls and went to the free-throw line 55 times.
- Jack and Armel Potter each had 19 points for George Washington, who had its two-game winning streak snapped.
- La Salle's reserves outscored GW's by a significant 37-6 margin, with Phiri and Kimbrough added seven apiece.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will look for their third straight win on Tuesday, Feb. 25 with a matchup against Davidson. The road game will tipoff at 7:00 p.m.
