WASHINGTON – The La Salle men's basketball team played well in the first half against George Washington, but the Colonials caught fire in the second half and pulled away for 92-85 victory on Saturday night at the Charles E. Smith Center.
With the loss, the Explorers fell to 7-9 in A-10 play and 13-16 overall. The Explorers also dropped their third straight game after they had put together a five-game winning streak.
In addition, the Explorers split the season series with George Washington.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers got down early, as they trailed 8-0 before Hassan Drame and Fousseyni Drame knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to two before GW made a basket to take a 10-6 lead into the first media timeout.
- Four minutes later, the Explorers tied the game at 16 with 11:53 remaining after going on a 10-6 run. Khalil Brantley played a key part during that stretch, scoring six points, including a jumper to tie the game.
- With 6:40 left, La Salle took a 32-30 lead — its first lead of the game — after Andres Marrero knocked down a 3-pointer.
- GW managed to tie the game twice in the final 6:40, but the Explorers got big plays from Daeshon Shepherd and Marrero. With the game tied at 38 with 3:37 left, Shepherd made a jumper to give La Salle a 40-38 lead. After the Colonials tied the game at 40 with 1:40 left, Marrero gave La Salle a 42-40 lead at halftime after he made two free throws on a one-and-one opportunity after going for a loose ball and getting fouled on the play to earn a trip to the free throw line.
- In the second half, the Explorers allowed GW to go on an 8-2 run to take a 48-44 lead.
- The Explorers got the deficit down to 52-51 with 16:08 left after Rokas Jocius made a shot in the paint and Jhamir Brickus scored five straight points.
- Unfortunately, the Colonials went on a 19-3 run over the next seven minutes to take a commanding 71-54 lead with 9:08 remaining. During that stretch, the Explorers missed 10 straight shots from the field.
- After the Colonials extended their lead to 87-67 with 1:40 left, the Explorers kept fighting, as they went on an 18-5 run to close the game. Fousseyni Drame and Josh Nickelberry sparked the run, combining for 13 points after Drame had seven points and Nickelberry knocked down two 3-pointers for six points.
GAME NOTES
- Shepherd matched his career high in points with 14. The sophomore guard/forward also had 14 points against Davidson on Jan. 24.
- The Explorers had six players in double figures for the first time this season. Along with Shepherd, Fousseyni Drame tied for the team lead with 14 points while Nickelberry scored 13, Brantley added 12, and Hassan Drame and Jocius chipped in 10 points apiece.
- The Explorers' bench outscored the Colonials' bench, 40-4.
- The Explorers had a hard time stopping the Colonials in the paint, as GW had 50 points in that area. The Colonials also shot 58.6 percent from the field for the game.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will head up to Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday to take on Dayton in another A-10 matchup. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
