MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA — The La Salle men's basketball team battled hard against Wake Forest, but the Demon Deacons pulled away in the second half and handed the Explorers a 75-63 defeat in the first round of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
The loss put the Explorers at 2-2 on the season and in the third-place game of the tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers got off to a fast start against the Demon Deacons, as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Josh Nickelberry and Hassan Drame each hit a three to pace the run.
- After the Demon Deacons went on a 13-5 run to tie the game at 15 with 9:14 remaining, the Explorers traded blows with the ACC foe for the rest of the half.
- After Wake Forest went on a 17-11 run, the Explorers came back and took a 33-32 lead with 1:58 remaining by going on a 7-0 run, which was capped by a back-to-back threes from Nickelberry and Khalil Brantley.
- However, Wake Forest took a 35-33 lead into halftime after scoring on a layup and an ensuing free throw following a La Salle foul.
- Nickelberry was the big reason for La Salle's success in the first half, as he had 18 of his game-high 26 points in the half. The senior guard shot 6-for-7 from three-point range in the half.
- In the second half, the Explorers managed to take the lead three times in the first five minutes. The first time was with 17:05 left when Rokas Jocius made a layup in the paint to give La Salle a 38-37 lead. After Wake Forest took a 39-38 lead, the Explorers took their second lead after Drame made a three-pointer to put them up 41-39 with 15:53 left. Then, after the Demon Deacons tied the game 30 seconds later on a layup, Anwar Gill made 1-of-2 free throws to put the Explorers ahead 42-41.
- However, Wake Forest outscored La Salle, 34-21, over the final 15 minutes to earn the victory.
GAME NOTES
- With his 26 points, Nickelberry now has seven career 20-point games and has scored in double figures in 17 career contests. He also has led the team in scoring eight times in his time at La Salle.
- Nickelberry also shot at an efficient clip, going 7-for-14 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
- Fousseyni Drame led the Explorers with nine rebounds — the most by any La Salle player this season. Fousseyni also added six points in the defeat.
- Brantley handed out six assists for the third straight game to pace the Explorers.
- The Explorers have gone 4-3 in games played internationally. In their first trip overseas in 1990-91 when they played in the Daiwa Ball in Tokyo, Japan, they swept Baylor (87-82) and Idaho (83-61), respectively. In their second trip in 2010-11 when they played in the Cancun Classic in Cancun, Mexico, they topped Providence, 84-73, but fell to Missouri by an 83-71 count. In their third international trip in 2017 when they played in the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic in Belfast, Ireland, the Explorers fell to Towson, 67-60, but bounced back to defeat Holy Cross, 58-54, in the second game.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will face Georgetown in the third-place game of the tournament on Sunday. Tip-off is set for noon.
