PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team used a late run to hold off Big Five opponents Penn, defeating the Quakers in a 76-74 showdown inside of Tom Gola Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Explorers have won three-straight games, winning their last five inside the friendly confines of Gola.
With the win, the Explorers grabbed their first win against the Big Five (1-2) on the season, Penn falling to 0-4 against Philly foes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Quakers grabbed the opening bucket, but the Explorers would be the ones to get off to a quick start. A dish from Anwar Gill to Clifton Moore for the slam started what would be a 14-0 burst from La Salle.
- A step back three from Brickus would extend the lead to 19-5, the Explorers knocking down their first eight shots of the game.
- With turnovers hampering the visitors' start, the Quakers cleaned up their offense and would go on to shoot 75% from the field after the under-12 media timeout, trimming the lead to 24-20.
- The two teams combining 23-37 (62.2%) from the field to heat up the nets inside Gola heading into the under eight media timeout, both sides ended the first half cold. La Salle was held scoreless over the final 4:22 of the opening 20 minutes, while the visitors only connected on one of their last 10 attempts from the field as the Explorers took a 40-35 lead into the locker room.
- Penn grabbed its first lead since taking an early 2-0 advantage, Jelani Williams driving to the hole for a layup. On the ensuing possession, Josh Nickelberry knocked down a triple, entering into double-figures for the third-straight game to regain the lead.
- A 10-0 Quaker run gave the visitors a 57-50 advantage near the 14 minute mark, holding the Explorers scoreless for more than two minutes of action in their run.
- Gill helped lead a charge for the Explorers to claw their way back to a 65-64 deficit, scoring six points and dishing two assists in a 12-8 run.
- Trailing two, the Explorers gained a huge momentum shift through Moore. The redshirt senior once again was on the receiving end of a Gill dime, tying the game at 69. Defensive stops and a pair of buckets from Brickus on either side of a Nickeberry free throw gave the hosts a 7-0 run that pushed the La Salle lead to 74-69 and forced a Quaker timeout.
- Holding onto a two-point lead late, the Explorers defense found a stop on the final possession of the game, Penn's Jordan Dingle forcing up a difficult shot that clattered off the rim and into the hands of Moore as time expired, giving La Salle its third win in as many games with a 76-74 victory over the Quakers.
GAME NOTES
- Jonah Charles finished with a game-high 18 points for the Quakers off the bench. Nickelberry finished with a team-high 15 points for the Explorers.
- In his last two games, Gill has combined for 16 assists after dishing out seven against Penn, the second-most of his career behind his nine dime performance against FDU last time out. Gill finished with a season-high 12 points – three off his career-best – while adding three steals in the win.
- Brickus and Moore both went for 13 points on 5-9 from the field, the former adding four rebounds and four assists to his game while Moore grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots.
- Christian Ray produced a 10 point, seven rebound performance as all five starters for La Salle finished in double-digits – the second time the Explorers have done so this season (at Delaware).
- The Explorers finished 29-58 (50.0%) from the field, the second time the Explorers have hit at least half of their shots this season. La Salle has tallied its three best shooting performances of the season in the last three games.
- The Explorers shared the ball, tallying 19 assists on 29 made baskets (65.5%).
- La Salle remains undefeated on Saturday, now 4-0 on the season. The Explorers haven't lost an afternoon game on the year, also 4-0 in games played at 4 p.m. or earlier.
- 14 different lead changes happened throughout the game, with the Explorers holding the advantage for 26:46 (66.9%) of the contest.
- The five-game win streak at Gola is the longest since the 2016-17 season, that squad tallying seven straight victories on 20th and Olney.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers head on the road for just the third time, second outside of city limits, to face Bucknell next Saturday.
- The 2 p.m. tip is set for action on ESPN+.
