Men's Basketball | December 1, 2023

PHILADELPHIA - La Salle & Penn will square off at the first-ever Big 5 Classic inside Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:45 p.m., and the game will be a part of a unique tripleheader in South Philadelphia. Villanova will face Drexel at 2 p.m., and the championship game will feature Saint Joseph's and Temple, beginning at 7:30 p.m. 

All three games will air live on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus and nationally on Peacock. Fans can also listen to the game via an online radio broadcast featuring Kale Beers, Rich Tarr, and Bron Holland. In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on X @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.

NEWS & NOTES

• The Explorers will be looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking triple-overtime loss at Temple on Wednesday evening.
• The epic contest was just the fifth in the history of the Philadelphia Big 5 to go to triple overtime, and featured eight ties and 13 lead changes over 55 minutes of action.
• Senior Jhamir Brickus set a new Big 5 single-game scoring record, registering 41 points before fouling out late in the third overtime session.
• Brickus was a one-man wrecking crew, connection on 13 of his 27 field-goal attempts and going 11-for-12 from the free-throw line. The 5-11 guard also had nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
• Trailing by eight with 1:39 to go, the Explorers mounted a furious comeback that started with four straight points from junior Khalil Brantley.
• Two missed free throws by Temple opened the door for La Salle, with Brickus connecting on a jumper in the lante to cut the margin to just two with 19 seconds left.
• The Owls went 1-for-2 from the line to push their margin to three before a step-back, pump-fake three by Brickus knotted the game at 71-71 and sent the game to overtime.
• The two teams went back and forth through the first two overtime periods, before the Owls took control in the third.
• A total of 10 players fouled out of the contest, 68 fouls in total were called in, and 81 free throw attempts were made.
• The 205 total points were the second-most in a Big 5 game in history. The triple overtime game between La Salle and Villanova in 1953 (La Salle 111, Villanova 105) is the only game to surpass that total.

SCOUTING PENN

• The Quakers enter with a 5-3 record, having won two of its three games at the Quaker City Classic over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
• Penn defeated Lafayette and Monmouth, but lost an overtime battle with Belmont. In addition, the Quakers have a victory over Villanova under their belts this season.
• Clark Slajchert leads the team in scoring at 17.8 points per game, one of three Penn players averaging double figures.
• Slajchert also leads the team in assists (31) and has made a team-high 18 three-pointers on the year.
• Tyler Perkins (16.3 ppg) and Sam Brown (12.0 ppg) are the two other players who average in double digits, with Perkins also hauling in 7.1 rebounds and holdiing the team lead in steals with 17.

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY

• The matchup on Saturday will be the 76th all time between the two schools.
• The Explorers have won 33 times, including last season's 84-81 overtime victory at The Palestra.
• Anwar Gill had a career-high 26 points and Jhamir Brickus added 25 for La Salle, who connected on 10 three-pointers in the win.