PHILADELPHIA – Seniors Isiah Deas and Saul Phiri combined for 27 points on Senior Day as the La Salle University men's basketball team downed St. Bonaventure, 73-65, in Atlantic 10 action from Tom Gola Arena on Saturday. La Salle honored Deas, Phiri and Moustapha Diagne prior to the game.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Explorers got the offense going early and took an 11-4 lead before the first media timeout on a three-pointer from Deas.
• The Bonnies pulled within a pair after a 7-2 run before freshman Sherif Kenney slammed home a breakaway dunk to start a 7-0 run for the Explorers.
• St. Bonaventure brought it back to a three-point game on a jumper by Justin Winston, but again the Explorers responded with a trio of three-pointers, capped off by a trifecta from junior David Beatty to make it 34-24 with 4:43 until halftime.
• La Salle locked in defensively and held St. Bona scoreless over the final three minutes of the half and entered the break with a 36-28 advantage.
• The Explorers kept the pressure on right from the start of the second half and began the period on a 15-4 run to jump out to a 51-32 lead with 11:04 remaining.
• St. Bonaventure made it interesting late, cutting the difference down to just four on a three by Dominick Welch with 1:59 to play.
• But sophomore Jared Kimbrough threw down a dunk to swing the momentum back on La Salle's side and the Explorers went 9-for-10 from the foul line over the final minute, including a 6-for-6 effort by Phiri, to close out the Senior Day win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• With a team-high 16 points, Deas moved his career total to 970, just 30 away from 1,000.
• The Explorers had a 25-6 advantage in bench scoring, led by Kenney's 14 points and Beatty's 11.
• Kimbrough put together an impressive line of nine points, a career-high-matching nine rebounds, a block and a steal in his first start of the season.
• Freshman Christian Ray also matched his career high with 10 rebounds, while freshman point guard Ayinde Hikim totaled six assists.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will round out its home schedule on Wednesday when the Explorers host Massachusetts for Fan Appreciation Night and Dollar Dog Night. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off.