Men's Basketball | February 7, 2023

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - The La Salle men's basketball team eyes its third consecutive win on Wednesday when it hits the road to take on St. Bonaventure at the Reilly Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
 
The game will be televised on ESPN+. In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.
 
NEWS & NOTES

• The Explorers will go up against the Bonnies for the 37th time in program history. The series is tied at 18-18.
• The Explorers are coming off a 2-0 week in which they topped George Washington (75-64) and Saint Joseph's (73-65), respectively.
• The Explorers will look to beat the Bonnies at St. Bonaventure for the sixth time in program history and for the first time since Jan. 31, 2015, when they earned a 66-56 victory.
• The Explorers have three players averaging close to double figures in Khalil Brantley, Josh Nickelberry, and Fousseyni Drame. The threesome has combined for 33.9 points per game, with Brantley scoring 14.1 per game, Nickelberry chipping in 10.5 per contest, and Drame adding 9.3 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 590-338 career record and a 333-135 mark in conference games.

COMING OFF THE BENCH

• The Explorers have one of the top benches in the country, as they are ranked 52nd in the NCAA in bench points per game at 24.65 points per game.
• The Explorers have seen their bench score over 30 points in a game six times this season, including 33 points in their win over Saint Joseph's on Sunday.

BIG GAME BRANTLEY

• Brantley currently ranks eighth in the Atlantic 10 in assists per game with 4.0, ninth in the conference in steals per game at 1.5, 13th in the conference in assists/turnover ratio at 1.4, 16th in the conference in minutes at 33.0, 16th in the A-10 in points per game at 14.1 per game, and 18th in the conference in free throw percentage at .750.
• The sophomore guard has scored in double figures in 17 of 21 games this year.
• Brantley came up big in the Explorers' 77-75 overtime win over Rhode Island on Jan. 7, as he dropped a career-high 29 points in the win. He scored 17 of his 29 points in the second half, added a team-high eight rebounds, and went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line while playing a career-high 43 minutes.
• In La Salle's 78-77 victory over UMass, Brantley came up with a block on Minutemen guard Noah Fernandes' shot attempt from the right side to end the game and seal the win. He also led the team with seven rebounds and six assists.
• In the Explorers' win over Howard, Brantley scored 24 points, 21 of which came in the second half. Brantley had a career day from three-point range as well, going a perfect 4-for-4 — all of which came in the second half. He also stepped up at the foul line, going 10-for-12 from the charity stripe.
• Brantley filled the stat sheet in the Explorers' game against Temple, as he led the team in points (14), rebounds (nine), steals (five) and assists (four).
• Brantley had posted one of his best performances in a La Salle uniform against Wagner on Nov. 12, scoring a career-high 22 points at the time while handing out six assists.
• In the final 12 minutes against Wagner, the Bronx, N.Y. native scored 12 points. He also shot a career-best 12-for-15 from the free-throw line.
• In La Salle's win over Queens on Nov. 15, Brantley had 18 points, giving him the best two-game scoring stretch of his career after netting 40 total points. He also had six assists to give him back-to-back games in which he had six assists or more for the first time in his career.

SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE

• The Bonnies enter the game at 13-11 and 7-4 in A-10 play after winning their third straight game in conference play by beating Dayton, 68-59, last Saturday at home. The Bonnies' other wins in A-10 play were against UMass (83-64), George Mason (73-69), Richmond (71-63 and 66-62), Duquesne (65-56), and VCU (61-58), respectively.
• The Bonnies have played well at home, as they have a 10-2 record at the Reilly Center. The Bonnies' only losses at home have been to Fordham (79-68) and Florida Gulf Coast (71-58).
• The Bonnies have three players averaging double figures in Daryl Banks III, Kyrell Luc and Chad Venning. Banks III leads the way with 15.4 points per game, while Luc has averaged 12.2 points per game and Venning has chipped in 11.8 per game.
• St. Bonaventure is led by Mark Schmidt, who is in his 16th season as head coach for the Bonnies. Coaching his 22nd season overall, Schmidt has a 281-20 record with St. Bonaventure and a 363-296 overall mark.