AMHERST, Mass. —
Jhamir Brickus scored a career-high 25 points and
Khalil Brantley blocked a shot on the final possession of the game to help the La Salle men's basketball team earn a 78-77 victory over UMass on Wednesday night at Mullins Center for its second consecutive Atlantic-10 win.
With the victory, the Explorers improved to 2-1 in A-10 play and 8-8 overall. The win marked the second time in three seasons that the Explorers started 2-1 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers trailed after the first half, as they were down, 44-38, to the Minutemen. However, the Explorers stayed in the game during the first 20 minutes after receiving 18 points from their bench, with Andres Marrero scoring six points and Daeshon Shepherd adding five in the half.
- In the second half, Brickus went off against the Minutemen, scoring 22 of his 25 points in the half.
- The junior guard opened the first six minutes of the half by scoring 14 of the team's first 18 points. Brickus made four threes during that stretch, including one that gave the Explorers a 56-53 lead.
- From there, the Explorers managed to build a 77-67 advantage over the Minutemen by outscoring them, 21-14 over the next nine minutes. Brickus had eight points and Shepherd added five during that time.
- The Minutemen managed to cut La Salle's lead to one with 46 seconds left, giving them a chance to win the game at the end.
- But, Brantley came up with a block on Minutemen guard Noah Fernandes' shot attempt from the right side to end the game and seal the win.
GAME NOTES
- Brickus' 25 points matched his career high, which he first set in the Explorers' 84-81 overtime win against Penn on Dec. 3. Brickus finished the game 6-for-10 from three-point range, with his six threes tying his career high from beyond the arch.
- Shepherd was the only other La Salle player in double figures, as he chipped in a career-high 11 points. The sophomore surpassed his previous high of seven, which he had last year against Holy Cross, and led the team with two blocked shots.
- Brantley managed to fill out the stat sheet, leading the team with seven rebounds and six assists while adding nine points to go with his crucial block.
- The Explorers shot 52.5 percent from the field (32-for-61). Their 52.5 percent marked the third time this season they shot over 50 percent for a single game, with all three games ending in La Salle victories.
- The Explorers also made 32 field goals, which marked the third time this season they converted over 30 field goals in a game. The Explorers have won all three games in which they made over 30 field goals.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers head home to face Fordham in another A-10 contest at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center presented by Steamfitters Local Union 420. The game will be part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team, which will take on George Washington at noon. Tip-off for the men's game is set for 3 p.m.
