La Salle LaS 15-18,7-11 Atlantic 10

Duquesne DU 20-12,10-8 Atlantic 10

La Salle LaS

15-18,7-11 Atlantic 10

Final

Mar. 08, 2023

Duquesne DU

20-12,10-8 Atlantic 10

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
La Salle LaS	27	54	81
Duquesne DU	33	37	70

Summary
Box Score

Mitchell Leff/Atlantic 10

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | March 8, 2023

Brickus, Brantley Have Big Nights to Lead Men’s Basketball to A-10 Tournament Quarterfinals

Dynamic duo combine for 45 points in Explorers’ win over sixth-seeded Duquesne

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Jhamir Brickus poured in 23 points, Khalil Brantley dropped 22 and the La Salle men's basketball team overcame a six-point deficit in the second half to come away with an 81-70 win over sixth-seeded Duquesne in the second round of the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament on Wednesday night at Barclays Center.

With the victory, the 11^th-seeded Explorers improved to 15-18 overall on the season and avenged a 91-74 loss to the Dukes that they suffered on Feb. 22 at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. More importantly, the Explorers advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015, when they topped UMass, 76-69, to make the round of eight.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Explorers played a lot better than they did two weeks ago against the Dukes. They held a 20-17 lead with 7:37 left in the first half, thanks to an 8-0 run that saw Josh Nickelberry make a pair of 3-pointers and Daeshon Shepherd hit a pull-up jumper.
However, the Dukes went on a 16-7 run to end the half and take a 33-27 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Explorers went on a 6-0 run in the first minute and a half to tie the game at 33. Hassan Drame hit three, Fousseyni Drame made a turnaround jumper and Brantley converted a foul shot during the run.
Duquesne went on the offensive and pushed their lead back up to 44-38 with 14:35 left outscoring the Explorers, 11-5.
But, Brickus and Brantley took over the game, as they duo combined for 15 while helping the Explorers go on a 23-7 run to take a 61-51 lead with 6:10 left. Brantley scored nine points, while Brickus had six during that stretch.
From there, the Explorers stepped up by making winning plays. They held the Dukes' offense to just 4-of-12 shooting over the five minutes. In addition, the Explorers came up big at the free throw line, where they went 14-for-17 over the final 5:04 to seal the victory.

GAME NOTES

Brickus showed great efficiency in his 23-point performance, shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 11-for-13 from the free throw line. The junior guard notched his third 20-point game of the season after having a pair of 25-point games against Penn on Dec. 3 and UMass on Jan. 11, respectively.
Of his 23 points, Brickus had 19 of them in the second half. The Coatesville, Pa. native also scored in double figures for the 16^th time this season.
Brantley had a superb second half as well, scoring 15 of his 22 points in the final 20 minutes. The sophomore guard shot 7-for-14 from the field and led the Explorers with six assists in the game.
Brantley had over 20 points in a game for the sixth time this season. In addition, the Bronx, N.Y. native scored in double figures for the 25^th time this year.
The trio from Bamako, Mali — Hassan Drame, Fousseyni Drame, and Mamadou Doucoure — also made an impact on the game, combining for 23 points and 17 rebounds. Hassan and Fousseyni Drame had eight points apiece, while Doucoure chipped in seven points. Hassan Drame led La Salle with nine rebounds, while Doucoure grabbed seven boards and Fousseyni Drame got one rebound.