Men's Basketball | January 27, 2023

KINGSTON, R.I. - The La Salle men's basketball team goes for its third Atlantic 10 win of the season while also looking to break a four-game losing streak in conference play on Saturday when it travels to face Rhode Island at the Thomas M. Ryan Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
The game will be televised on ESPN+. For those fans making the trip, there will be a La Salle pre-game reception at Mews Tavern. Click here to register for the free pre-game reception.

In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.
 
NEWS & NOTES

• The Explorers are looking to sweep the season series against the Rams after beating them, 77-75, in overtime on Jan. 7 at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. In that game, Khalil Brantley scored a career-high 29 points and Jhamir Brickus knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer in OT to seal the victory.
• The Explorers will go up against the Rams for the 43rd time in program history. Rhode Island leads the series with a 32-10 record.
• The Explorers are coming off a 64-57 loss to Davidson on Tuesday at home. In that game, the Explorers held a 33-32 lead at halftime, but the Wildcats rallied in the second half to earn the win.
• The Explorers have four players averaging close to double figures in Brantley, Josh Nickelberry, Fousseyni Drame, and Brickus. The foursome has combined for 42.6 points per game, with Brantley scoring 14.1 per game, Nickelberry chipping in 9.9 per contest, Drame adding 9.6 per game, and Brickus averaging 9.0 per game.
• The Explorers are led by head coach Fran Dunphy, the all-time winningest coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history. A 1970 La Salle graduate, Dunphy sports a 588-337 career record and a 331-134 mark in conference games.

SUPPORT FROM SHEPHERD

• Daeshon Shepherd has helped the Explorers recently while coming off the bench. In the last six games, the sophomore guard/forward has scored in double figures in three of them, including a career-high 14 points against Davidson on Tuesday.
• Shepherd also posted his first career double-double, netting 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Saint Louis last Saturday.
• Shepherd has also done well on the glass, averaging 4.8 rebounds in the last six games.

COMING OFF THE BENCH

• The Explorers have one of the top benches in the country, as they are ranked 79th in the NCAA in bench points per game at 24.00 points per game.
• The Explorers have seen their bench score over 30 points in a game five times this season.

PICKING OPPONENTS' POCKETS

• The Explorers have cracked the top 100 in all of NCAA Division I in terms of steals, as they are ranked 73rd in the country after averaging 7.7 steals per game. They also rank third in the A-10 in that department.
• The Explorers had their best performance of the season as far as taking away the basketball goes, as they recorded a season-best 13 steals against Saint Joseph's on Monday.
• The Explorers have made 10 steals or more in a game four times this season.
• The Explorers have recorded eight or more steals in a game 10 times this season. 

SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND

• The Rams enter the game at 7-13 and 3-5 in A-10 play after upending Dayton, 75-70, on Tuesday at home. The Rams have also beaten Fordham (82-79) and St. Bonaventure (68-67) in conference play.
• Since playing the Explorers, the Rams have gone 2-3, with their three loses coming against UMass (75-65), Richmond (64-57), and George Mason (79-72), respectively.
• The Rams have two players averaging double figures in Ishmael Leggett and Brayon Freeman. Leggett leads the way with 16.3 points per game, while Freeman has averaged 14.6 points per game.
• Rhode Island is led by Archie Miller, who is in his first season as head coach for the Rams. Coaching his 11th season overall after being the head coach at Dayton and Indiana, Miller has a 213-134 career record.