Men's Basketball | November 12, 2021
PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team returns to Tom Gola Arena on Saturday afternoon, taking on the University at Albany Great Danes on Homecoming Weekend in a 4 p.m. showdown.
The game on Saturday is set for an ESPN+ broadcast, with
Kale Beers and Richard Prendegast delivering the play-by-play and color. Explorers fans can listen to the broadcast through GoExplorers.com/watch.
La Salle comes off an opening day defeat to Sacred Heart, where a game-tying buzzer beater from the Pioneers took the game into overtime. The visitors outscored the Explorers 19-14 to walk out of Tom Gola Arena in 86-81 fashion.
NEWS AND NOTES
- The 4 p.m. matchup is part of the second double-header in as many games with the men and women's programs, the women facing Rider in a noon showdown.
- Tom Gola Arena is back to full capacity after no attendance being permitted in the arena in the 2020-21 season.
- The matchup between the two teams will be the first meeting between the Great Danes and Explorers.
- Josh Nickelberry and Sherif Kenney paced the offense in the first game of the season, scoring 22 points and 18 points respectively.
HEATING UP
- A first year transfer after two years at Louisville, Josh Nickelberry started his Explorer debut on fire. The junior dropped a team-high 22 points in the losing effort against Sacred Heart.
- Nickelberry, who totaled 37 points in an injury riddled stint as a Cardinal, knocked down 22 points on 8-17 shooting in the game (6-11 from behind the arc), three points short of what he tallied in his best season at Louisville as a sophomore.
- On his way to 19 first half points, Nickelberry had already posted a career-high just eight minutes into the game.
SEEING DOUBLE
- For the first time in his career, Jack Clark registered a double-double in the season opener. His 12 point, 11 rebound contest was the 15th time registering double figure scoring and the third time with 10+ rebounds. Clark joins Christian Ray as the only other Explorer to record a double-double, the junior with three in his career.
EXTRA, EXTRA
- With the overtime loss to Sacred Heart, the Explorers now move to 2-3 in the Howard era in games that go beyond 40 minutes. La Salle's two wins game in 2019-20, finishing the season 2-1 in overtime games.
FREE THROW WOE
- The Explorers struggled from the line in the opener, unable to capitalize on two key points in the game to put the game out of reach. Off a Sacred Heart double technical, the Explorers missed all four attempts at the line to push the lead back into double figures. With less than 30 seconds to play, the Explorers once again missed two free throws that could have secured a win, a lead that Sacred Heart wiped off with a game-tying three to send to overtime. La Salle finished 6-14 (42.9%) from the line.
A-10 PROJECTIONS
- The Explorers set out on their campaign with a chip on their shoulder, looking to prove the preseason predictions wrong. La Salle was picked to finish 12th in the Atlantic 10, only in front of George Washington and Fordham.
- No Explorer found themselves on the Preseason All-Conference Team, Jhamir Brickus being an All-Rookie selection and Sherif Kenney a Sixth Man of the Year winner in last season's awards.
