Men's Basketball | December 28, 2023

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle men's basketball team looks to conclude its non-conference schedule with double-digit wins for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when it hosts Howard at Tom Gola Arena on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

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

NEWS & NOTES

• Redshirt freshman Ryan Zan came off the bench to score a team-high and career-high 19 points as the Explorers matched a program single-game record with 35 assists in a 107-41 victory over Rosemont.
• The assist total matches the 35 dimes the Explorers handed out in a 125-80 win over Loyola (La.) on Feb. 4, 1967.
• The first half saw La Salle assist on all 21 of its made field goals as the team took a 56-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
• Senior Jhamir Brickus had 10 quick points in the period, while junior Khalil Brantley had seven assists.
• Zan took over the second half, scoring 17 of his game-high total in points after intermission. The 6-7 forward went 9-for-10 from the field on the game and added seven rebounds and three steals.
• La Salle had five players in double figures for the game - Zan (19), Brickus (10), Rokas Jocius (15), Daeshon Shepherd (12) and Andres Marrero (10).
• Brantley closed with a career-best 12 assists against just two turnovers, and the Explorers finished with a ridiculous 7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (35:5).
• All 13 players who saw action in the game found the scoring column, including the first career points for a group of Explorers: senior James Joseph (4), junior Tommy Gardler (6), junior Milos Kovacevic (6), and freshman Efe Tahmaz (3).
• In addition to the single-game assist record, La Salle was in range to break the all-time record for single-game field goal percentage but its 59.7% came up short of the record of 67.1%, set in 1979.
• The Explorers enter the game with a perfect 7-0 record at Tom Gola Arena inside TruMark Financial Center, and look to start 8-0 at home for the first time since 2011-12, when they began the year 12-0 at their home venue.

SCOUTING HOWARD

• The Bison play their eighth road game of the year on Saturday, and enter with a 4-9 overall record (1-6 record on the road).
• Howard and La Salle have one common opponent - Penn. The Explorers defeated the Quakers, 93-92, while the Bison fell 78-68 on Dec. 11.
• Seth Towns, who played previously at Harvard and Ohio State, leads the team at 15.4 points per game.
• Bryce Harris and Marcus Dockery are the other two players averaging in double figures at 13.8 and 11.9 points per game, respectively.
• The Bison won the MEAC Tournament last year, going 22-13 overall and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Explorers hold a 7-1 record against Howard all-time, including last year's 80-76 win on the road.
• Khalil Brantley scored 24 points and La Salle shot a blistering 68.2 percent from the floor in a 51-point second half to come away with the win.
• The lone loss by La Salle in the series came at Burr Gymnasium on Howard's campus in 2007-08.