DAYTON, Ohio – The La Salle men's basketball team kept it close against Dayton for the first 27 minutes of the game, but the Flyers caught fire midway through the second half to pull away for 77-53 victory on Tuesday night at UD Arena.
With the loss, the Explorers fell to 7-10 in A-10 play and 13-17 overall. The Explorers also lost their fourth straight game after they had put together a five-game winning streak.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers fell into a big hole early, as they trailed 21-6 through the first 10 minutes of the game.
- However, the Explorers fought back by outscoring the Flyers, 21-12, over the final 10 minutes to make it a 33-27 Dayton lead at halftime. During that stretch, the Explorers closed the half on a 9-0 run after Josh Nickelberry scored five points, Khalil Brantley made a jumper, and Rokas Jocius scored the last basket of the half after grabbing an offensive rebound.
- In the second half, the Explorers had a chance to cut Dayton's lead to under six after Jocius scored five straight points on a tip-in layup and a 3-pointer to make it 45-39 with 12:57 remaining.
- Unfortunately, the Flyers went on a 23-7 run over the next seven minutes to take a commanding 68-45 lead and cruise to the win.
GAME NOTES
- Brantley led La Salle with a game-high 19 points and four assists. The sophomore guard also had eight rebounds in the defeat.
- Jocius had arguably his best game as an Explorer, finishing with 10 points and grabbing a career-high nine rebounds.
- Nickelberry also finished in double figures for the Explorers, scoring 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will return home to host Loyola Chicago in their regular season finale and Senior Day game on Saturday at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
