Men's Basketball | November 27, 2021

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team heads to the historic Palestra to take on #7 Villanova on Sunday afternoon, facing the Wildcats in both teams' first Big Five matchup of the season.
 
The nationally televised game is set to start at 6:05 p.m. on Sunday, November 28^th on ESPN2 with Mike Corey and Jon Crispin on the call. Audio can also be heard on GoExplorers.com/watch, as Kale Beers and Richard Prendegast are also on the broadcast.

For fans attending, make sure you follow the Penn Athletics Spectator Policy which can be found here. All fans must be fully vaccinated to be able to enter the facility. Fans must also complete the form here on the day of the game prior to the arrival to the arena.
 
NEWS AND NOTES

• For the first time in two years, the Explorers return to one of the most iconic stadiums in college basketball when they face #7 Villanova inside the Palestra on Sunday.
• La Salle is 1-1 inside the Palestra under Coach Howard's tenure, falling to the hosts Penn before taking down Bucknell later in the 2019-20 season.
• The Explorers are coming off a two-game home win streak inside Tom Gola Arena, looking to translate that into the Palestra as the designated home team against the Wildcats.
• The matchup between the Explorers and Wildcats will be the first of the season for either in a Philadelphia Big Five matchup.
• After an eight day break, the Explorers are returning to action after a 61-58 victory over Army West Point on Saturday, November 20.
• A game of runs in the first half saw the Explorers finish the opening 20 minutes on a 12-4 spurt, taking a 31-29 lead into the break.
• An 11-5 run on the other side of the half almost gave La Salle a double-digit advantage at 42-34.
• Army West Point chipped away at the lead, giving the Explorers another close game at the wire.
• With the last chance of the game, the Black Knights were unable to get off a shot before the buzzer and the Explorers left Gola with their second home win in as many games.

 
SCOUTING VILLANOVA

• The Wildcats enter the battle at the Palestra after facing three ranked foes in the last four games, dropping contests to #2 UCLA and #6 Purdue to enter with a 3-2 record on the season.
• A perennial favorite in the Big East, the ranked Wildcats enter with a host of scoring options to choose from. Junior guard Justin Moore leads the team in scoring (17.8 ppg) and is one of four in double-digits, followed by BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Collin Gillespie (16.0 ppg), Brandon Slater (14.8 ppg) and Jermaine Samuels (14.4 ppg).
• Despite two early losses, the high-powered offense averages nearly 83 points per game and holds a 12.4 scoring margin on the season. Villanova shoots at a clip of 46.4% while deadly from distance with a 43.7% rate from behind the arc.

 
DEFENDING IS AN ART

• Early in the campaign, the Explorers are 0-2 when scoring over 80 points and 2-0 scoring in the 60s. The difference comes on the defensive side of the ball, La Salle 2-0 when allowing less than 65 points and 0-2 when allowing 80+ points.
• The 61 points is the lowest the Explorers scored in a win since a Dec. 12 contest last season against Drexel, defeating the Dragons 58-48.
• La Salle held the Black Knights to 58 points on 31.1% shooting, a season-low for an opponent in both categories. Army came into the contest averaging 74.8 points per game and 47.5% from the field.

 
RAY THE RELIABLE

• Christian Ray finished the game against the Black Knights with 10 points and eight rebounds, his third straight game in double-figures.
• Ray finished with a season-high 14 points against Delaware, four points shy of his career-best set last season. The Gap, Pa. native also added a career-best 16 rebounds, the most by an Explorer since Ed Crosswell secured 18 against Saint Louis (1/29/20). Ray is one of only three players in the country to record 12/16/4 on the season.
• Collecting his fourth career double-double with 14:44 remaining in regulation, Ray also neared a career-best in assists, dishing out four dimes in defeat.

 
GETTING MORE FROM MOORE

• Clifton Moore has proven himself to be a menace on the defensive side of the ball in his two years in the Blue and Gold.
• With six blocks against Army West Point, Moore recorded the most blocks in a game since November 20, 2010 when Aaric Murray recorded nine in a 79-74 win over Morgan State. The six blocks is fourth-most in program history.

 
HANDING KEYS TO KHALIL

• Freshman backup point guard Khalil Brantley scored a career-high in his early collegiate career in the win over Army, collecting 12 points - all in the first half.

 
GETTING 'JIG'GY WITH IT

• After a breakout rookie season as an Explorer, sophomore starting point guard Jhamir "Jig" Brickus has now put up back-to-back contests with double-digit scoring. Jig leads the team in shooting percentage and three-point shooting.