Men's Basketball | December 2, 2022
PHILADELPHIA — The La Salle men's basketball team looks to start December by posting a victory over Philadelphia Big 5 rival Penn on Saturday at The Palestra. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
The game will be televised on ESPN+, with Kale Beers and Rich Prendergast delivering the play-by-play and color. Explorers fans can also listen to the broadcast through GoExplorers.com/watch. In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on Twitter
@LaSalle_MBB and Instagram
@lasallembb.
NEWS & NOTES
- The Explorers will go up against the Quakers for the 75th time in program history. Penn leads the all-time series at 42-32.
- More recently, the Explorers have won 10 of the last 14 matchups, including last year's 76-74 victory at Tom Gola Arena on Dec. 11, 2021.
- The Explorers are coming off a 67-51 loss to Big 5 foe Temple during a true Philadelphia Big 5 doubleheader on Wednesday night at The Palestra. In the game, the Explorers held a 29-21 halftime lead and were winning with 10 minutes to go before Temple went on a 28-7 run to rally for the win.
- The Explorers are led by head coach Fran Dunphy, the all-time winningest coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history and former head coach of Penn. In his first head coaching job, Dunphy led the Quakers, from 1989-2006.
- Khalil Brantley and Josh Nickelberry have made the Explorers go this season. The dynamic duo in the backcourt has combined for 28.2 points per game, with Brantley scoring 14.3 per game and Nickelberry chipping in 13.9 per contest.
FAMILIARITY FOR FRAN
- The La Salle-Penn showdown will mark the first for Dunphy against a Penn team he led to 310 wins and nine NCAA Tournament appearances as head coach from 1989-2006. He also helped the Quakers capture 10 Ivy League titles and post nine 20-win seasons while on the sidelines.
- 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.
- 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 from 2006-19, 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 Penn, Dunphy will be coaching his 106th game against a Big 5 school. He has posted a 51-55 record against Big 5 programs.
SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday's contest is the 75th meeting between the Explorers and the Quakers.
- The matchup between La Salle and Penn dates back to 1934, with Penn holding a 42-32 advantage in the series.
- More recently, the Explorers have won 10 of the last 14 matchups including last year's 76-74 victory at Tom Gola Arena on Dec. 11, 2021.
- The Explorers have done well against Penn at The Palestra recently, winning six of the last eight meetings against the Quakers on their home floor since 2000.
SCOUTING PENN
- The Quakers are 5-5 on the season after winning five of their last seven games since an 0-3 start. The Quakers have beaten Drexel (64-59), Lafayette (74-68 in OT), Hartford (75-55), Colgate (81-69), and Delaware (86-73), respectively.
- The Quakers' five losses were to Iona (78-50), Missouri (92-85), Towson (80-74), West Virginia (92-58), and Saint Joseph's (85-80 in OT). The Saint Joseph's loss occurred on Wednesday night in the second part of the Big 5 doubleheader at The Palestra.
- The Quakers have been paced by Jordan Dingle and Clark Slajchert in the scoring department. Dingle leads the way with 21.9 points per game, while Slajchert has scored 17.4 points per contest.
- Penn is led by Steve Donahue, who is in his eighth season as head coach. Donahue is taking on his college coaching mentor in Dunphy, who hired Donahue as an assistant in 1990. Donahue spent 10 seasons on Dunphy's staff, helping the Quakers capture six Ivy League titles, post four separate undefeated conference campaigns, and qualify for the NCAA Tournament five times.
