WASHINGTON —
Khalil Brantley poured in a career-high 24 points,
Anwar Gill,
Fousseyni Drame, and
Jhamir Brickus each scored in double figures, and the La Salle men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 80-76 win over Howard on Thursday at Burr Gymnasium.
With the win, the Explorers end non-conference play with a 6-7 record.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers and Bison battled each other from the get-go, as the Explorers took an 8-7 lead at the first media timeout. Drame paced the Explorers during the first four minutes, scoring five points.
- The Explorers managed to extend the lead to 18-13 with 7:19 remaining after going on a 10-6 run, highlighted by a Gill three-pointer, a Drame layup, three foul shots from Brantley, and an Andres Marrero jumper.
- Gill scored six of his 12 first-half points in the final 7:19 of the half, but the Bison managed to make it a 29-all game at the break by going on an 11-6 run.
- In the second half, the Explorers scored 61 points, thanks in large part to Brantley and Brickus catching fire. Brantley scored 21 of his 24 points in the half, while Brickus netted all of 11 of his points during the final 20 minutes.
- However, the biggest plays of the game for the Explorers came at the foul line in the final seconds. Clinging to a 77-76 lead with 11 seconds left, Brantley made the first of two free throws, then saw Hassan Drame grab an offensive rebound off Brantley's missed foul shot on the second attempt, and Brickus knocking down a pair of free throws after getting fouled with four seconds left to seal the win.
GAME NOTES
- Brantley's 24 points surpassed his previous high of 22, which he had in the Explorers' home opener against Wagner on Nov. 12. The sophomore guard also had a career day from three-point range, going a perfect 4-for-4 — all of which came in the second half.
- Gill was next behind Brantley in the scoring department, netting 18 points off the bench. The Washington, D.C. native also led the team with six rebounds in his homecoming.
- Fousseyni Drame finished with 13 points and had a team-high two steals.
- Along with his 11 points, Brickus paced La Salle with five assists.
- The Explorers had their best shooting performance of the season, as they shot 54.5 percent from the field (24-for-44) and 50 percent from three-point land (9-for-18).
- The Explorers' 80 points marked the third time this season they reached 80 points in a game. The Explorers had back-to-back games in which they scored 80 in wins against Penn (84 points) and Bucknell (82), respectively,
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will open their 28th season of Atlantic-10 play on Saturday when it faces VCU on the road at Siegel Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
