PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team suffered defeat on Sunday afternoon inside The Palestra, dropping a 72-46 contest to #7 Villanova in Philadelphia Big 5 action.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A few empty possessions from both sides saw the pair of offenses get off to a slow start, highlighted by a Clifton Moore rejection at the rim over Eric Dixon.
• The Wildcats used 9-0 run fueled by a corner three from BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Connor Gillespie to start the game, keeping the Explorers scoreless heading into the first media timeout.
• Khalil Brantley would stop the run, showing off his midrange jumper over a Wildcat defender.
• Brantley would score the only points for Villanova for the opening 16:32 minutes as the Explorers struggled from the field, the freshman guard hitting the first 12 points. Jhamir Brickus' and-one at the 3:28 mark cut Brantley's 12-0 personal run for La Salle.
• Brantley's second trey stopped a Villanova 21-0 run, the Explorers held scoreless for nearly seven minutes.
• The Wildcats would take a 42-17 lead into the break.
• The Explorers came out the break with a revamped offense, Brickus and Sherif Kenney pacing the charge with 15 of the first 17 points for the Explorers, combining for 5-8 from the field in the opening minutes.
• Each sides trading buckets throughout the majority of the half, the Explorers took a 25-24 advantage into the final media timeout, trailing 66-42.
• A Brantley three with just over 40 seconds remaining saw the rookie eclipse his career-high in the final basket of the game, the Explorers falling 72-46 in the Cathedral of Basketball.

 
GAME NOTES

• In back-to-back games, Brantley registered 12 points in the first half. Brantley finished with a game-high 17 points on the night on 5-10 shooting, hitting 3-4 attempts from beyond the arc.
• Brickus paced the Explorers in the second half with 10 of his 13 points.
• After just 17 points in the first half, the Explorers registered 17 points in just 5:52 minutes to start the second.
• La Salle finished 14-55 from the field for 25.5%, connecting on 6-21 three point opportunities.
• Villanova was paced by 13 points from Gillespie, adding six rebounds and five assists. The Wildcats held the rebound advantage 50-30, outrebounding the Explorers 13-7 offensively.

 
UP NEXT

• The Explorers have a quick turnaround, facing another Big Five foe in Temple on Wednesday, December 1.
• Tip is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.