Men's Basketball | February 24, 2023

WASHINGTON - The La Salle men's basketball team has its sight set on ending a two-game losing streak and earning a crucial win in A-10 play on Saturday night when it plays George Washington for the second time this season at the Charles E. Smith Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
 
The game will be televised on ESPN+. Explorers fans can also listen to the broadcast through GoExplorers.com/watch, with Kale Beers and Rich Prendergast delivering the play-by-play and color commentary. In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.
 
There will also be a pre-game reception at Tonic at Quigley's. Click here to register for the free pre-game reception.
 
NEWS & NOTES

• After going on a five-game winning streak, the Explorers have lost their last two games to George Mason (70-66) and Duquesne (91-74), respectively. In the Duquesne game on Wednesday, Josh Nickelberry poured in a career-high 28 points, but the Dukes used a late surge in the second half to break away from the Explorers for the win.
• The Explorers are currently in a tie for eighth place in the A-10 standings at 7-8. They trail George Washington and George Mason by one game for the sixth spot.
• The Explorers will try to sweep the season series against the Colonials after topping them, 75-64, at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. The win over GW sparked their five-game winning streak.
• The Explorers have four players averaging close to double figures in Khalil Brantley, Nickelberry, Jhamir Brickus, and Fousseyni Drame. The foursome has combined for 43.4 points per game, with Brantley scoring 14.0 per game, Nickelberry chipping in 11.3 per contest, Drame adding 9.1 per game, and Brickus scoring 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 593-340 career record and a 336-137 mark in conference games.

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday's contest is the 45th meeting between the Explorers and the Colonials.
• The matchup between La Salle and George Washington dates back to 1951, with George Washington leading the series at 24-20.
• The Explorers have won six of the last 10 meetings with the Colonials since 2013.
• The Explorers are 5-6 overall against George Washington at George Washington since 2008. The Explorers' last win at GW was on Feb. 22, 2020, when they posted a 72-62 victory. 

COMING OFF THE BENCH

• The Explorers have one of the top benches in the country, as they are ranked 28th in the NCAA in bench points per game at 26.07 points per game. They also rank second in the A-10.
• The Explorers have seen their bench score over 30 points in a game eight times this season, including a whopping 58 points in their win over UMass on Feb. 11. 

BUCKETS FOR NICKELBERRY

• Nickelberry has been getting buckets for the Explorers while coming off the bench, as he has scored 118 points in his last eight games and led the team in scoring in five of those games, including a career-high 28 points against Duquesne on Wednesday. Nickelberry's 28 points tied his career high, which he achieved against Holy Cross on Dec. 4, 2021.
• Along with his 28 points against Duquesne, the senior guard poured in a game-high 21 points against UMass, a game-high 18 points in the Explorers' win over St. Bonaventure and a game-high 16 points against Saint Joseph's. Nickelberry has averaged 14.8 points per game during this stretch after also netting a team-high 16 against Rhode Island and scored 12 against George Washington.
• Nickelberry ranks second on the team in points per game (11.3), seventh in the A-10 in 3-pointers made per game (2.3), and 10th in the A-10 in 3-point field goal percentage (.395).
• Nickelberry posted his sixth 20-point game of the season after his 28-point performance against Duquesne. He has 10 career 20-point games and has scored in double figures in 28 career contests. Nickelberry also has led the team in scoring 16 times in his career at La Salle.
• Nickelberry put together one of his best scoring performances of the season in the first game of the Jamaica Classic, dropping 26 on ACC foe Wake Forest. In the game, Nickelberry shot at an efficient clip, going 6-for 11 from 3-point range, 7-for-14 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
• Nickelberry produced the best two-game scoring span of his Explorer career after pouring in 42 combined points in the first two games of the season against Villanova and Wagner. For the second straight season opener, Nickelberry dropped 22 points against the Wildcats on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Against Wagner, Nickelberry netted 20 points. 

SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON

• The Colonials are 14-14 and 8-7 in A-10 play after beating Rhode Island, 89-80, in overtime on Wednesday for their second straight win.
• The Colonials have also defeated Loyola Chicago (97-87), UMass (81-73), George Mason (78-75), Dayton (76-69), Saint Joseph's (92-91 in overtime), Richmond (107-105 in double OT), and St. Bonaventure (83-81 in OT) in conference play.
• Along with their loss to the Explorers, the Colonials' other losses in A-10 play have come at the hands of Richmond (73-63), Saint Louis (81-74), Fordham (85-70), Duquesne (93-67), Saint Joseph's (81-69), and George Mason (66-53), respectively.
• The Colonials have four players averaging double figures in James Bishop, Brendan Adams, Maximus Edwards and Ricky Lindo, Jr. Bishop leads the A-10 with 21.3 points per game, while Adams ranks fourth in the conference with 17.8 points per game. Edwards and Lindo Jr. have chipped in 11.0 and 10.0 points per game.