RICHMOND, Va. — The La Salle men's basketball team fought hard against VCU, but the Rams pulled away late in the second half to earn an 80-67 win in the teams' Atlantic-10 opener on Saturday at Siegel Center.
The loss put the Explorers at 0-1 in A-10 play and 6-8 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers played well in the first half. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first after Josh Nickelberry made a jumper and a three-pointer, and Khalil Brantley made a layup on a backdoor cut to the basket.
- The Explorers continued to keep the Rams at bay, as it held a 16-11 lead with 11:41 remaining after Nickelberry put himself in double figures on another jumper and three-pointer.
- Then, Jhamir Brickus stepped up and scored seven points over the next four minutes to help La Salle take a 25-18 advantage with 7:28 left.
- The Explorers got the lead to 30-21 with 4:35 remaining after Nickelberry drained his third three and Mamadou Doucoure had a big-time dunk off a Brantley pass.
- However, the Rams went on a 17-6 run that included them hitting a three-pointer with two seconds left that game them a 38-36 lead at halftime.
- In the second half, the Explorers kept the game close, as it was a 53-51 contest with 9:22 left after Brantley made a pull-up jump shot off a turnover.
- Unfortunately, VCU outscored the Explorers, 27-16, over the final 9:22 of the game to seal the win.
GAME NOTES
- Nickelberry led La Salle with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.3 percent) and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc (42.9 percent). The senior guard now has eight 20-point games in his career and 22 career games in which he has scored in double figures.
- Brickus finished with 16 points, nine of which came in the second half. The junior guard has scored in double figures in five of his last six games played.
- Brantley ended with 14 points and five assists. The sophomore guard has scored in double figures in four straight games and nine of the team's 14 contests.
- Doucoure had a season-high seven points for the Explorers. The graduate student and forward scored all of his points off the bench.
- Fousseyni Drame paced the Explorers on the glass, collecting eight rebounds.
- The Explorers shot well from the free-throw line, going 10-for-12 (83.3 percent).
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will host Rhode Island in their A-10 home opener next Saturday at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
