PHILADELPHIA – Josh Nickelberry scored a game-high 16 points off the bench and the La Salle men's basketball team earned its second straight win on Sunday by beating rival Saint Joseph's, 73-65, in a nationally televised game at Hagan Arena.
With the win, the Explorers improved to 4-6 in A-10 play and 10-13 overall. They also split the season series with the Hawks and finished 2-2 in Philadelphia Big 5 games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers got off to a fast start against the Hawks, jumping out to a 7-0 run in the first three minutes of the game. Mamadou Doucoure opened the run with a tough bucket under the basker, Khalil Brantley then made a 3-pointer, and Hassan Drame hit a jumper.
- The Explorers pushed their lead to 22-11 with 10:09 remaining after Nickelberry made the first of four threes.
- The Explorers saw their 11-point lead get trimmed down to 32-30 with 59 seconds left, but Daeshon Shepherd hit a big 3-pointer coming out of a La Salle timeout to give them a 35-30 advantage at halftime.
- In the second half, the Hawks managed to tie the game at 47 with 11:20 left, but Nickelberry hit a big 3-pointer to give La Salle the lead again with 10:51 to go.
- Then, Nickelberry knocked down his third and fourth 3-pointers that sandwiched around a Saint Joseph's jumper to put La Salle ahead 56-51 with 7:30 left.
- From there, the Explorers extended their lead to 61-52 with 4:46 remaining after Anwar Gill had a fast break dunk and Brantley made a three from the top of the key.
- The Explorers' lead went down to 68-63 with 37 seconds left, but they managed to 5-for-6 from the free-throw line to seal the victory.
GAME NOTES
- For the third straight game, Nickelberry has scored in double figures while coming off the bench. The senior guard has scored in double figures in 23 career games and led the team in scoring 13 times in his career.
- The Explorers received 33 points off their bench, marking the sixth time this season they had over 30 points from their bench. Along with Nickelberry's 16 points, Shepherd added seven points, Rokas Jocius scored six points, and Gill had four.
- Brantley and Jhamir Brickus also added double figures for La Salle in the win. Brantley finished with 12 points, which Brickus chipped in 11.
- Brantley paced the Explorers with six assists and added six rebounds.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers go on the road again, this time to face St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
