Men's Basketball | November 29, 2022
PHILADELPHIA — The La Salle men's basketball team looks to end November with a winning record by topping Temple in the first game of a true Philadelphia Big 5 doubleheader on Wednesday night at The Palestra. The Explorers and Owls kick off the doubleheader at 6 p.m., followed by Penn hosting Saint Joseph's at approximately 8:30 p.m.
The game will be televised on ESPN+, with Kale Beers and Rich Prendergast delivering the play-by-play and color. It will also be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia+. Explorers fans can also listen to the broadcast through GoExplorers.com/watch.
Tickets for the doubleheader are available here.
NEWS & NOTES
- This will be the seventh time The Palestra has hosted a true Big 5 doubleheader since its formation in 1955-56, and just the third time it has happened this century. The last true Big 5 DH at The Palestra was Jan. 20, 2016, and it involved these same four teams as Temple defeated La Salle, 62-49, and Saint Joseph's beat Penn, 75-60.
- The Explorers are coming off a 65-62 win over Binghamton last Saturday at Tom Gola Arena. The Explorers received two huge baskets from Hassan Drame and Khalil Brantley in the final 1:38 of the game. With Binghamton leading by one point, Drame faked a shot and drove in for a layup to give La Salle a 62-61 lead with 1:18 left. Then, Brantley made a tough layup in the lane with 18 seconds left to help La Salle go ahead 64-61 before it earned the 65-62 win.
- The Explorers are led by head coach Fran Dunphy, the all-time winningest coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history. A 1970 La Salle graduate, Dunphy sports a 583-328 career record. With La Salle's win over Wagner on Nov. 12, Dunphy became the first Big 5 coach to win a game with three Big 5 teams (won 310 games with Penn and 270 with Temple).
FAMILIARITY FOR FRAN
- The La Salle-Temple showdown will mark the first for Dunphy against a Temple team he led to 270 wins and 10 postseason appearances as head coach from 2006-19. Of the 10 postseason appearances, eight of them have been to the NCAA Tournament.
- Dunphy also returns to The Palestra, the venue at which he began his head coaching career in 1989. The Malvern, Pa. native led the Quakers to a 69-64 win over Lehigh on Nov. 25, 1989, his first of 310 wins at Penn.
- After the Temple game, Dunphy will face Penn on Saturday at The Palestra. Dunphy led Penn to 10 Ivy League titles, nine 20-win seasons, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
- Dunphy will look to become the first Big 5 head coach to beat two Big 5 programs he previously coached. When Dunphy was coaching for Temple, he defeated Penn for the first time on Jan. 23, 2008, when the Owls earned an 80-64 victory.
- Dunphy has also coached in plenty of games against Big 5 competition. Against Temple, Dunphy will be coaching his 106th game against a Big 5 school. He has posted a 51-54 record against Big 5 programs.
SERIES HISTORY
- Wednesday's contest is the 105th meeting between the Explorers and the Owls. The matchup between La Salle and Temple dates back to 1936, with Temple holding a 67-37 advantage in the series.
- The two schools played basketball all the way back to the 1899-1900 academic year, prior to La Salle beginning varsity sports.
- More recently, the Owls have won six of the last seven matchups including last year's 73-57 victory at the Liacouras Center on Dec. 1, 2021.
- The Explorers' last win against Temple was on Nov. 26, 2017, when they posted an 87-83 victory.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
- The Owls are 3-4 on the season after beating No. 16 Villanova (68-64), Rutgers (72-66), and Drexel (73-61), respectively. The Owls' wins against Villanova and Drexel came at home, while the Rutgers'
- The Owls' four losses were close, as they fell to Wagner (76-73 in OT), Vanderbilt (89-87 in OT), St. John's (78-72), and Richmond (61-49), respectively.
- The Owls have three players averaging double figures in scoring. Khalif Battle leads the way at 18.7 points per game. Damian Dunn follows Battle at 16.7 and Jamille Reynolds is right behind him at 12.0.
- Temple is led by Aaron McKie, who is in his fourth season as head coach. McKie is taking on his college coaching mentor in Dunphy, who hired McKie as an assistant in 2014. McKie spent five seasons on Dunphy's staff, helping the Owls to four postseason berths.
