RICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore Sherif Kenney scored a career-high 20 points, but the La Salle men's basketball team could not overcome 10 second-half turnovers in a 73-62 loss at VCU on Saturday. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Explorers brought the defensive intensity early on, forcing five VCU turnovers in the first 5:24 of action, while sophomore Sherif Kenney provided the offense with seven of La Salle's first nine points.
• La Salle took advantage of those turnovers and turned it into a 13-8 lead after a steal by freshman Jhamir Brickus led to a layup for sophomore Christian Ray.
• The Rams tied it up at 15 all, but they had no answer for Kenney as the second-year guard continued to pour it on with eight more points over the next two minutes to push the La Salle lead to 25-17 with 8:38 left in the half.
• After a VCU timeout, the Rams used a 7-0 run to pull within a point, 25-24, and after the Explorers extended the difference to 30-24, VCU ended the half on a 9-0 run to enter the break on top, 33-30.
• The second half saw La Salle go cold offensively, missing 11 of its first 13 attempts from the field.
• Turnovers were a key factor over the final 20 minutes, as the Rams converted the 10 miscues into 15 points.
• The home team grew its lead to as many as 16 points, before the Explorers cut the deficit to single digits on three separate occasions but could not draw closer than seven.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Kenney's previous career high was 19 points, which came last season at Richmond.
• In addition to his scoring output, Brickus scored 12 points - all of which came in the second half - and redshirt sophomore Jack Clark added 11.
• La Salle's bench outscored VCU's, 14-9, with junior Jared Kimbrough leading the way with seven points.
• Na'Shon Hyland led the Rams with 24 points, including 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers will now host Saint Louis in a rescheduled game from mid-January on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Tipoff from Tom Gola Arena is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game will air live on ESPN+.