Men's Basketball | February 7, 2022

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team look to defend Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center for the second time in as many games, taking on Saint Louis in a Tuesday night Atlantic 10 matchup.
 
Tuesday's game will celebrate healthcare workers across the city, all essential workers allowed into the arena free of charge with proof of credentials. The first 100 fans will also receive a free La Salle beanie hat upon entrance. The game can be caught on ESPN+ at 7 p.m., Kale Beers on the call.
 
NEWS & NOTES

• La Salle returns to Tom Gola Arena in TruMark Financial Center for the second-time in as many games, the last time before embarking on a four-game road trip. The contest against the Billikens is the 16th in 21 games that is inside the city limits, only traveling outside of Philadelphia five times thus far in the season.
• The Explorers play eight games in the month of February, three days being the longest break between contests.
• After a narrow loss to George Washington that saw both the Explorers and Colonials score a season-high point total, the Explorers responded on Saturday with an 83-78 win on La Salle's Hall of Athletes induction day.
• La Salle's win over George Mason broke both a five-game losing streak and a five-game losing streak inside of Tom Gola Arena after starting the season 5-1 on 20th and Olney, moving to 6-6 at home.
• For just the third time this season, the Explorers shot more than 50% from the field, 3-0 when doing so. Holding as much as a double-digit lead, the Explorers were able to hold off a late Patriot charge to grab their second A-10 victory of the season.
• Jhamir Brickus is having one of his best weeks of his career, averaging 19 points over the last two games and adding 5.5 assists per game. Clifton Moore added double figures for the 10th straight game while Jack Clark and Josh Nickelberry each combined for 35 points against Mason.

 
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS

• Saint Louis enters Gola on Tuesday, facing the Explorers twice in the next three games as the Explorers head west next week. The Billikens are 16-6 overall, 7-2 in the A-10. Saint Louis are on a five-game win streak, four of those coming by a double-digit margin.
• The league leaders in rebounding, the Billikens are also one of the nation's best on the glass. Ranked 28th in the country in rebounds per game, Saint Louis also crashes the offensive glass prolifically, ranking 16th in the country at a clip of 13.09 per game. The Billikens have the top scoring offense in the league, 24th in the country at nearly 80 points per game.
• Gibson Jimerson leads the Billikens in scoring with 17.4 points per game, shooting 43.2% from deep. Yuri Collins also adds 11.6 points, leading the nation with 186 assists, 8.5 per game. He also ranks 19th in steals per game at 2.23.
• Francis Okoro adds 9.8 points per game, leading the team in rebounding with 7.7 per game while ranking 51st in the country in offensive rebounds.

 
STEPPING UP

• The Explorers have seen a shared effort throughout the season in game leaders, a trio combining for a majority of games led with points and rebounds.
• Josh Nickelberry leads the Explorers with six games scoring a team-high, while Clifton Moore and Jack Clark trail behind with five and four games each.
• Moore has been a common denominator on the glass as well, pacing the team with seven games tallying the most karoms. Clark and Christian Ray follow just behind by securing a team-high on six occasions.

 
LIVE AND DIE AT THE LINE

• The Explorers struggled to get to the line in the month of January, seeing lopsided tallies in favor of opposition throughout the month. La Salle conceded a 167-119 deficit at the foul line the last 7 games, opponents averaging nearly 24 attempts per game.
• On four separate occasion, the Explorers were on the wrong side of a double-digit margin on the line:  -22 against St. Bonaventure, -10 at Rhode Island, -15 against UMass and -13 at Davidson.
• The Explorers opened their February with a 25-17 deficit on the line against George Washington in a two-point defeat. Despite poor shooting from the line, the Explorers had a 23-12 advantage in attempts and six more makes in the five point win over George Mason.

 
LINE CHANGES

• Coach Howard hasn't been afraid to switch up the starting five this season, having gone with eight different lineups to begin the game entering the 19th game. Howard has rolled with the same lineup over the last four games.
• The only remaining constant has been Clifton Moore - the only player making a start in each game this season. Josh Nickelberry and Jhamir Brickus are next closes with 16 and 15 starts each.
• Nine different Explorers have registered at least three starts.

 
MR. 500

• With two minutes left on the clock and the Explorers trailing by four to UMass, Jack Clark stepped to the line and knocked down a pair of free throws. Not only did it cut the deficit to two (later wiped away by a jumper from Clark), but it also gave the redshirt junior his 500th career point in his 50th career game.
• Clark became the first on the team to eclipse the 500 mark.

 
Jack Clark......... 553
Clifton Moore... 417
Christian Ray.... 415
Jhamir Brickus.. 391
 
LEARNING TO CLOSE

• Despite a 7-13 record, the Explorers can look back to a few games that could have easily swung the balance into their favor. La Salle has held a double-digit lead in five of its losses.
• Four of those losses saw the Explorers hold their largest lead of the game in the second half, Rhode Island the only outlier in which the Explorers had their biggest margin in the opening 20 minutes.
• The Explorers looked to overcome their demons against George Mason, fending off a late flurry from the Patriots after holding a double-digit lead.

 
STATS OF SIGNIFICANCE

• La Salle is 0-11 when trailing with five minutes left in the game, having been unable to come back from late deficits thus far.
• Fortunes haven't favored the Explorers in midweek matchups or in night games. La Salle is 1-8 in games on Tuesday-Thursday and 1-9 in games played at 6 p.m. or later. The one anomaly of both of those stats is a 81-55 rout over Fairleigh Dickinson on a Tuesday night contest.

 
MORE OF MOORE

• Clifton Moore has proven himself to be a menace on the defensive side of the ball, ranking 25th in the nation in blocks with 2.50 blocks per game.
• The redshirt senior produced his best month in his collegiate career, taking a next level to his game heading into A-10 play. Moore averaged 15.9 points per game in January, grabbing 8.0 rebounds per game while recording 2.0 blocks per game. He also recorded eight assists and four steals in the seven games. Moore opened February with a 13 point, 10 rebound double-double for the fifth of his career.
• Moore has scored in double-figures in his last 10 games, 11 times in his last 12. He's also recorded a block in each of his last 22 games, having recorded a block in each game this season and finishing last season with two-straight games.

 
JACK OF ALL TRADES

• The Cheltenham native produced a 13 point, eight rebound effort against Richmond, 11 of his 13 points coming in the first half. 10 of his 16 points against UMass also came in the first half, scoring four of his six points in the second half against the Minutemen in the final two minutes of the game.
• Clark has averaged 17.3 points over the last three games, recording his second double-double with a 17 point, 11 rebound performance against GW.

 
GETTIN' JIGGY WITH IT

• Jhamir "Jig" Brickus has now scored in double-digits in eight of his 18 games this season, scoring at least eight points in 13 games for a 9.6 season average.
• Brickus grabbed 15 points and six assists in the loss to the Blue Hens, both proving to be a season high. His bucket with just over nine seconds left put the Explorers up one point, but eventually proved not enough after falling in overtime.
• Brickus posted a season-best effort in the loss to George Washington, scoring a season-high 20 points while tallying seven of his eight assists in the first half. He finished strong week with 18 points to help push the Explorers past George Mason, including six points in the final 2:12 minutes.

 
PHILLY LIVIN'

• The Explorers spent their nonconference campaign in and around the city of Philadelphia. Only playing three road games before A-10 action, the Explorers traveled no further than Lewisburg, Pa. for any of their away trips.
• The Fordham Rams broke a five-game win streak inside Tom Gola Arena, the only other loss coming in the home opener in overtime to Sacred Heart. Since then, the Explorers have went on a five-game losing streak at home in conference play. La Salle snapped its home skid with a victory over George Mason.
• La Salle has only left the city just five time in its opening 21 games to start the season, next leaving in a four-game road swing starting February 12.

 
NICKEL AND DIMING 'EM

• Nickelberry holds an Explorer-best 28 points in a game on the season, scoring his career-best mark against Holy Cross. The tally remains as the most points by an Explorer in a game since Isaiah Deas (31) in Dec. 14, 2019 against Morgan State. Nickelberry also recorded a career-high eight rebounds against the Crusaders.
• Nickelberry is one of three Explorers averaging double figures (11.9) in conference play.

 
THE ART OF DEFENDING

• In their 2021-22 campaign, the Explorers are 5-3 when allowing less than 70 points and 2-10 when allowing 70+ points.
• La Salle held Army West Point to 58 points on 31.1% shooting, a season-low for an opponent in both categories until allowing just 55 points to FDU, holding the Knights to just 22.2% from the field in the second half.
• The 61 points against Army is the lowest the Explorers scored in a win since a Dec. 12 contest last season against Drexel, defeating the Dragons 58-48.
• The 78 points allowed to George Mason is the most given up by the Explorers in a win, the second time claiming victory while allowing more than 65 points.
• In wins, the Explorers concede just 65.6 points, giving up 76.5 points in losses.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• The Explorers and Patriots meet for the 30th time in series history, the Billikens holding a 19-10 advantage.
• La Salle's early advantage over Saint Louis has been undone over the last decade, dropping 12 of the last 16 against the Billikens.
• Despite recent history, the Explorers defeated Saint Louis inside Tom Gola Arena last season, celebrating senior night in style. Jack Clark helped lead the team to victory with a 15 point, nine rebound performance. Clifton Moore added 11 points in the win.
• La Salle is 1-5 against the Billikens under Coach Howard.
• The series started in 1951, Tuesday's visitors getting a 62-46 win.