PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will look to extend its season-opening winning streak as the Explorers host the Cornell Big Red Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2009.
The game will be televised on ESPN+, with Kale Beers, Richard Prendergast, and Richie Tarr providing play-by-play and color commentary. Additionally, Explorers fans can follow the team on X/Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @LaSalleMBB.
NEWS & NOTES
- La Salle has had a strong start to the 2024-25 season, earning wins over Patriot League foes American and Lafayette.
- Rebounding has been the Explorers' strength thus far. La Salle recorded a plus-nine rebounding margin in the opener against American and a plus-25 margin against Lafayette.
- Transfer forwards Mac Etienne (8) and Demetrius Lilley (13) have each set career highs in rebounds in the first and second games of the season, respectively.
- La Salle's 52 rebounds against Lafayette are the most the team has grabbed in a regulation game since 2011.
- Through two games, several players have stood out. Graduate transfers Corey McKeithan and Jahlil White have scored in double figures in both games.
- McKeithan has totaled 30 points over his first two games, marking the second-highest total in back-to-back games of his career (he scored 31 over two games in November of last season). He has also led the Explorers in assists in both contests.
- White has arguably been the most complete player on the roster. He leads the team in points (15.5 ppg) and rebounds (9.5), while shooting .733 from the field. The Temple transfer recorded the seventh double-double of his career on Saturday, posting 16 points and 13 rebounds.
- A pair of four-year Explorers have also provided significant scoring. Andres Marrero scored 18 points—his highest total in nearly a year—on Saturday. Daeshon Shepherd has scored in double figures in each of the first two games.
SCOUTING CORNELL
- Cornell is coming off a strong 2023-24 season, in which the Big Red earned a 22-8 record and advanced to the NIT tournament for the first time in program history. After the season, head coach Brian Earl departed to accept the head coaching position at William & Mary.
- The visitors from Ithaca, N.Y., are 2-0 to start the 2024-25 campaign, with wins over Division III Marywood and a buzzer-beater victory against Samford, 88-86, on Friday.
- The team features a new look under head coach Jon Jaques, a former player and assistant coach. Jaques returns two starters and eight letterwinners to his squad.
- Guard Nazir Williams is the standout for the Big Red. A two-time All-Ivy League selection, Williams starts in the backcourt alongside Jake Fiegen, who leads the team in scoring with 18.5 points per game. In the frontcourt, Guy Ragland has made a significant impact, leading the team in rebounds despite playing only 37 total minutes this season.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST CORNELL
- La Salle and Cornell have met just five times on the court.
- The Big Red hold a 3-2 series advantage, with the two teams playing a home-and-home series in 2008 and 2009, where Cornell won both contests.
- In an oddity, the two teams met in 1998 in New Mexico as part of the Lobo Classic. La Salle also faced Northeastern the day before in the same event. These were the only games that season in which La Salle did not play in the eastern United States.
