PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University men's basketball team hung with the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils for the first 20 minutes of action, before a 12-2 run to start the second half propelled the home team to a 95-66 win on Tuesday evening. Senior Anwar Gill had a team-high 17 points to lead the Explorers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Duke opened the game on an 11-2 run before the Explorers got untracked offensively.
• A three-pointer from Jhamir Brickus and buckets by Gill & Rokas Jocius pulled the Explorers to within two, 11-9.
• La Salle remained within striking distance for much of the first half, thanks in part to Gill's team-high nine points.
• An alley-oop dunk from Daeshon Shepherd put the score at 37-29 close to halftime, but Duke scored a basket to head into the locker room with a double-digit lead.
• Following the second-half run, the Explorers fought valiantly but could never significantly cut into Duke's margin.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• La Salle shot 46.4 percent from the field but Duke connected on 59.4 percent of its shots in the second stanza, including 7-for-13 from three-point range.
• Gill also added four rebounds and two assist, while Jhamir Brickus was the second player for La Salle in double figures with 13 points.
• Jocius closed with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers will return home to take on Coppin State at Tom Gola Arena inside TruMark Financial Center on Sunday, November 26.
• Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by visiting goexplorers.com/tickets or by calling 215-951-1999.