Men's Basketball | November 17, 2023

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University men's basketball team will host Southern Indiana in on Saturday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. This second game of the Blue Devil Challenge is set to tipoff at 2:00 p.m.

The game will be televised on ESPN+, with Kale Beers and Rich Prendergast delivering the play-by-play and color commentary. In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on X @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.

There will also be a pre-game reception at the Hideaway at Blue and Gold Commons. The Hideaway will open 90 minutes prior to tip-off to all fans. All students are also encouraged to attend a special pre-game tailgate at Blue & Gold. The first 50 students to show a game ticket will receive a free hot dog and chips, and all students with valid identification will have access to a special $2 beer drink special.

NEWS & NOTES

• The Explorers are looking to register their fourth straight victory of the 2023-24 season as they face the Screaming Eagles in the second game of the Blue Devil Challenge on Saturday.
• La Salle is seeking its first 4-0 start since the 2014-15 season after defeating Bucknell 69-57 in the first game of the Blue Devil Challenge last Tuesday.
• Junior Daeshon Shepherd delivered a career-high 22 points against Bucknell. He also grabbed 9 rebounds as well, one shy from registering his third career double-double.
• Senior Jhamir Brickus leads the Explorers in scoring, averaging 17.3 points on the season. Three other Explorers have also been consistently producing in double figures: junior Khalil Brantley, junior Anwar Gill, and Shepherd.
• After dishing out seven assists in the Explorers' 79-74 win vs. Northeastern last Saturday, Gill has continued to share the basketball effectively, leading the Explorers with an A/TO ratio of 2.8.
• Explorers head coach Fran Dunphy needs just two more victories to become the 15th active coach in NCAA Division I basketball to reach 600 wins, as he sits at an all-time record of 598-344 through his 32 seasons.
• After facing Southern Indiana, the Explorers will travel to Cameroon Indoor Stadium to take on the Duke Blue Devils in the final game of the Blue Devil Challenge on Nov. 21.
• Ranked 9th on the Associated Press National Top 25 Poll, Duke boasts a 2-1 record on the season.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN INDIANA

• This is the first ever matchup between Southern Indiana (1-3) and La Salle University (3-0).
• Southern Indiana became the fourth program in the last 15 years to jump from Division II to Division I as they played their first season as a Division I team in the 2022-23 campaign.
• In 2022-23, Southern Indiana finished with an overall record of 16-17, 9-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). 
• Southern Indiana is coming off its 31st straight year with a winning record in the regular season.
• The OVC preseason poll ranked Southern Indiana to finish 9th.
• To start the 2023-24 contests, Southern Indiana dropped its first three games by double digits, falling 75-63 to St. Louis University, 74-51 to Michigan State University, and 78-67 to Chicago State University.
• Southern Indiana tallied its first win of the season last Tuesday, topping Tiffin University, 68-65.
• Junior Jeremiah Hernandez led the Screaming Eagles with 24 points, going 9-10 from the free throw line.
• Sophomore AJ Smith joins Hernandez in averaging in double figures, as the two have contributed 12.8 and 12.5 per game respectively.
• The Screaming Eagles are coached by Stan Gouard, who has been at the helm since April of 2020. Gouard, a 1999 graduate of Southern Indiana, led the Screaming Eagles to a NCAA DII National Championship as a player in 1995 and was named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II National Player of the Year in both 1995 and 1996.