Men's Basketball | January 17, 2021

PHILADELPHIA - The Explorers will host their second game in three days when rival Saint Joseph's visits Tom Gola Arena on Monday for a nationally televised Philadelphia Big 5 matchup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The game will air live on CBS Sports Network, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Dave Ryan and Bob Wenzel will be on the call. An audio broadcast will also be available to fans via Stretch Internet and the TuneIn Radio App, with Kale Beers providing the play-by-play.

NEWS & NOTES
•La Salle will look for its third straight win over Saint Joseph's and will aim to get back on track following Saturday's 77-53 home defeat to the Davidson Wildcats.
•Davidson shot 62.5 percent in the first half to jump out to an early double digit lead.
•After heading into halftime trailing 44-25, the Explorers scored the first six points of the second half to cut the deficit down to 13.
•But the Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run and never slowed down from there as they stretched their lead to as many as 28 points.
•Davidson shot the lights out, hitting 55.2 percent from the floor while winning the battle on the boards with a 35-25 rebounding edge.
•Redshirt senior Scott Spencer led the Explorers with 12 points, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and adding two steals in 19 minutes.
•La Salle had a 28-18 advantage in bench scoring. Off the bench, junior Jared Kimbrough tallied a season-high eight points to go with five rebounds and freshman Jhamir Brickus had eight points and four assists.
•The Explorers shot 40.4 percent from the floor but just 24.0 percent from three.

SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
•The Hawks enter the meeting at 1-9 overall, 0-4 in the Atlantic 10 and 0-6 on the road.
•Saint Joseph's has faced a rigorous schedule, squaring off with Auburn, Kansas, Villanova and Tennessee in non-conference action.
•The Hawks' lone win came two games ago against Albany, 67-64.
•Both Saint Joseph's and La Salle's last games came against Davidson, with the Hawks falling on the road last Tuesday, 80-66, despite having four double-figure scorers.
•Ryan Daly leads the team with 17.2 points per game but has not played since Dec. 21.
•Taylor Funk has filled in with 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Jack Forrest adds 10.0 points and Jordan Hall leads the team with 5.5 assists per contest.
•The Hawks are scoring 70.5 points per game but are giving up 85.3 points per contest, which puts them last in the A-10.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SAINT JOSEPH'S (SJU LEADS 65-53)
•This will be the 119th all-time meeting between La Salle and Saint Joseph's.
•The Explorers and Hawks have met every season since 1933-34.
•La Salle won the first-ever meeting in 1934, 27-15 at home.
•The Explorers are 5-2 over the last seven meetings.
•La Salle has won four straight at home against Saint Joseph's.
•The Explorers swept both games of the series last season.
•Last year when they met at Tom Gola Arena, the Explorers had five double-digit scorers and made 13 three-pointers in an 83-66 route of the Hawks. David Beatty led La Salle with 18 points, while Sherif Kenney (12), Scott Spencer (11) and Ayinde Hikim (10) added to it.
•In the 2019-20 season finale at Saint Joseph's, six Explorers scored in double figures in a thrilling 78-77 win to complete the season sweep of the Hawks. It was La Salle's first win on Hawk Hill since 2014.
•Christian Ray had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Ayinde Hikim (15 pts), Jared Kimbrough (11 pts, 8 rebs), David Beatty (11 pts) and Scott Spencer (10 pts) evenly contributed.

EXPLORERS & HAWKS TO RECOGNIZE MLK
•On Monday, Jan. 18, La Salle and Saint Joseph's will renew their rivalry at Tom Gola Arena on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
•The Explorers will honor Dr. King with an altered court design, signage, logos and face masks portraying La Salle's commitment to social justice and equality.
•In recognition of Dr. King's legacy, the two schools have announced they will once again play on the national holiday during the 2021-22 season at Hagan Arena on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022.