Men's Basketball | December 16, 2022
PHILADELPHIA — The La Salle men's basketball team looks to get back above the .500 mark on Saturday when it visits Cincinnati in a non-conference matchup at Fifth Third Arena. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
The game will be televised on ESPN+. Explorers fans can also follow the team on Twitter
@LaSalle_MBB and Instagram
@lasallembb.
NEWS & NOTES
- The Explorers will go up against the Bearcats for the 12th time in program history. Cincinnati leads the all-time series with an 8-3 record.
- The Explorers are coming off a 65-58 loss to City 6 foe Drexel last Saturday in a nationally televised game at Tom Gola Arena. The loss snapped the Explorers' two-game winning streak after they had beaten Philadelphia Big 5 rival Penn, 84-81, in overtime and Bucknell, 82-72, respectively.
- Khalil Brantley and Josh Nickelberry have made the Explorers go this season. The dynamic duo in the backcourt has combined for 24.6 points per game, with Brantley scoring 12.9 per game and Nickelberry chipping in 11.7 per contest.
- 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 585-330 career record.
- The game against the Bearcats is the Explorers' first out-of-state road trip against a single opponent this season. The Explorers played in the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic in Montego Bay, Jamaica against Wake Forest and Georgetown, in November and only traveled within the Philadelphia area for their first two away games (at Villanova on Nov. 7 and Penn on Dec. 3).
- The Cincinnati game is the first of five consecutive games for the Explorers that begin at 2 p.m.
COMING OFF THE BENCH
- The Explorers have one of the top benches in the country, as they are ranked 81st in the NCAA in bench points per game at 26.10 points per game.
- The Explorers have seen their bench score over 30 points in a game three times this season, including each of their last two games against Penn (45) and Bucknell (37), respectively.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
- The hallmark of Fran Dunphy's teams has been not committing turnovers, and the Explorers have done well in that aspect this season.
- The Explorers are ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic-10 in both turnovers per game and turnover margin, and are ranked in the top 100 nationally in turnovers per game. The Explorers are averaging only 11.7 turnovers per game, which is good for 62nd in the country. As for their turnover margin, the Explorers have a margin of 1.7.
GILL GETS IT GOING
- Anwar Gill has provided a spark off the Explorers' bench, averaging 9.5 points per game, good for third on the team.
- The junior guard ranks in the top 25 in the Atlantic-10 in assist/turnover ratio (tied for fourth at 1.9), assists per game (tied for seventh at 3.5), and field goal percentage (tied for 21st at .475)
- Gill put together one of his bests performances in a La Salle uniform against Penn on Dec. 3, as he netted a career-high 26 points in the team's 84-81 overtime win over the Quakers. In the game, Gill shot 9-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, and 5-for-7 from the free throw line in 35 minutes. The Washington, D.C. native's nine field goals made, three three-pointers made, five foul shots made, 15 field goals attempted, and 35 minutes played were all career highs.
- Gill is also coming off his first two starts of the season against Bucknell and Drexel. In his debut on the starting five this season, Gill led the team with eight assists against the Bison. Against Drexel, Gill led La Salle with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists while playing a career-high 45 minutes.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
- The Bearcats are 7-4 on the season after winning four of their last five games since a 3-3 start. The Bearcats have beaten Chaminade (98-55), Cleveland State (69-58), Eastern Kentucky (87-69), Louisville (81-62), NJIT (86-60), Bryant (97-71), and Miami (Ohio) (103-76), respectively.
- The Bearcats' four losses were to Northern Kentucky (64-51), Arizona (101-93), Ohio State (81-62), and Xavier (80-77), respectively.
- The Bearcats have been paced by David DeJulius, Landers Nolley II, and Viktor Lakhin in the scoring department. DeJulius leads the way with 17.2 points per game. Nolley II follows him at 15.2 points per game and Lakhin has chipped in 12.7 points per game.
- Cincinnati is led by Wes Miller, who is in his second season as head coach for the school. In his 12th season overall as a head coach, Miller has a career record of 209-154.
