PHILADELPHIA - A game-opening run by Saint Joseph's dug a hole for the La Salle men's basketball team that it could not dig out of in a 76-57 loss to the Hawks on Monday afternoon. Khalil Brantley (16) and Andres Marrero (15) led the way offensively for the Explorers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• St. Joe's blitzed the Explorers to open the game, going on a 19-2 run over the first 6:22.
• Three straight three-pointers by La Salle, including a pair by Brantley, brought the visitors to within single digits.
• After a run by the Hawks re-upped the margin to 13, triples from Andres Marrerro and Ryan Zan brought the score to 24-17 in favor of the home team with 7:18 on the clock.
• SJU returned to form and led by as many as 19 points before a 6-0 spurt to end the period put the score at 42-29 heading into intermission.
• A 7-2 run to start the second half brought La Salle to within eight, and a stop at one end gave the Explorers an opportunity to cut into the deficit even further.
• But a missed shot and a conventional three-point play from the Hawks ignited a 16-6 run that bumped the margin back to 15 points. La Salle could not pull to within single digits the rest of the way.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• SJU shot nearly 51 percent from the field while La Salle shot 36.1 percent, and just 8-for-32 (25.0%) from three-point range.
• Rebounding was also an issue for the Explorers, with the Hawks winning the battle 45-24.
• The Hawks also scored 40 points in the paint as compared to La Salle's 12.

UP NEXT

• La Salle will have a week-long break before returning to action on Tuesday, January 23 at home against Dayton.
• Tipoff from Tom Gola Arena is set for 6:30 p.m., and all of the action will air live on ESPN+.