PHILADELPHIA — The La Salle men's basketball team played well for 30 minutes against Temple, but the Owls rallied in the final 10 minutes to earn a 67-51 win over the Explorers on Wednesday night in the first game of a Philadelphia Big 5 doubleheader at The Palestra.
The loss put the Explorers at 3-4 on the season and 0-2 against Big 5 competition this year after also falling to Villanova in their first game of the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers opened the game with a 16-13 lead through the second media timeout at 11:44. During that stretch, Khalil Brantley scored seven points for the Explorers.
- After Temple had a 6-4 run to make it a 20-19 La Salle lead at the 3:14 mark, the Explorers put together a 9-2 run, capped by a Brantley steal and slam dunk, to take a 29-21 advantage into halftime. Rokus Jocius sparked the run with four of his eight points in the half during that stretch.
- In the second half, the Explorers opened it with a bucket from Brantley in the first minute off a Temple turnover to go up 31-21 — their largest lead of the game.
- However, Temple erased the deficit by going on a 13-2 run to take a 34-33 lead with 13:56 left.
- The Explorers managed to grab a 44-39 lead with 10:05 left after Anwar Gill made three baskets, Jocius added a jumper, and Andres Marrero hit a three-pointer off a turnover.
- Unfortunately, the Owls went on a 28-7 run to close the game and earn the victory.
GAME NOTES
- Brantley led La Salle in every stat category on the night, as he finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, five steals, and four assists.
- Jocius had the best showing of his young La Salle career, as the freshman scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor.
- The La Salle-Temple showdown marked the first for head coach Fran Dunphy against a Temple team he led to 270 wins and 10 postseason appearances as head coach from 2006-19.
- Dunphy, the all-time winningest coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history, Dunphy coached his 106th game against a Big 5 school. He has posted a 51-55 record against Big 5 programs.
SERIES HISTORY
- Temple holds a 68-37 advantage over La Salle in their series, which dates back to 1936.
- More recently, the Owls have won seven of the last eight matchups. The Explorers' last win against Temple was on Nov. 26, 2017, when they posted an 87-83 victory.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will return to The Palestra on Saturday when they take on fellow Big 5 foe Penn. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
