PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team (3-0, A-10 0-0) defeated the Cornell Big Red, 93-77, on Tuesday night. Five Explorers scored in double figures, led by the tandem of Corey McKeithan and Demetrius Lilley. Both veterans set new career highs in scoring, with 25 and 16 points, respectively.

This victory marks the Explorers' third straight win by double digits to start the season, the first time a La Salle men's basketball team has accomplished this feat since the 2005-06 season.

Explorers' fans can follow the team on X/Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

• The teams battled in a "rock fight" early on. Both squads struggled to find the bottom of the net, combining for just 31% shooting from the field in the first four minutes. Jahlil White slammed home a one-handed dunk to send the teams into the first media timeout tied at 6.
• Four straight points from Lilley put the Explorers up 10-7. Cornell responded with a 6-0 run to take a 13-10 lead.
• Tunde Vahlburg Fasasi hit a rare four-point play, sparking an 8-3 run that gave La Salle a five-point lead, the largest by either team in the first 19 minutes of the half.
• The Big Red roared back to tie the game at 18 with 10:54 left in the first.
• The teams traded leads for the next several minutes. Lilley knocked down the first three-pointer of his career, giving the Explorers a 30-28 advantage with 6:55 remaining in the half.
• As the back-and-forth continued, Lilley slammed home a fast-break dunk to take a 36-35 lead. Daeshon Shepherd knocked down a pair of free throws to give La Salle its first lead of three or more points in over eight minutes, 38-35.
• A few minutes later, McKeithan hit a jumper to extend the Explorers' lead to 43-37 with under a minute left in the half.
• In the final seconds, Shepherd intercepted a pass from the Big Red, weaving through a swarm of Cornell defenders to score a layup as time expired. The layup sent La Salle into the break with its largest lead of the first half.

Second Half

• La Salle exploded out of the gate in the second half, scoring nine straight points to stretch the lead to 17, 56-39. Cornell hit a three-pointer before calling a timeout with 16:47 on the clock to stop the bleeding.
• The Explorers maintained the lead for the next few minutes thanks to strong play from Lilley and McKeithan.
• Andres Marrero knocked down a pair of free throws to put La Salle up 63-46. Cornell began to claw its way back into the game with tight defense and free throws. The Explorers held a 65-52 lead with 11:44 remaining.
• After Cornell hit another basket to trim the lead to 11, La Salle unleashed a fury on the Big Red, scoring 11 of the next 13 points to raise the lead to 19 with eight minutes left.
• McKeithan hit a mid-range jumper to set a new career high of 19 points with 7:07 remaining.
• A pair of free throws from McKeithan stretched the lead to 20 points for the first time. La Salle's high-powered offense continued to keep the Blue and Gold firmly in the driver's seat.
• Cornell couldn't mount a meaningful comeback as the game wound down. For the third time this season, the Explorers took the victory by a commanding margin, 93-77.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Lilley doubled his previous career-high of eight points, scoring 16 and grabbing 7 rebounds. The forward also made two three-pointers, the first of his career.
• While the second half was a rout, the first half featured 15 lead changes and 6 ties.
• Rookie Deuce Jones reached double figures for the first time in his career, setting new career marks in points (15) and rebounds (8).
• In addition to setting a new career-high, McKeithan scored in double figures for the third straight game, the first time he has accomplished this in his career.
• For the second time in just three games, the Explorers ended the first half with a buzzer-beater. In the season opener, White hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
• After being outrebounded in most games last season, the Explorers have held the rebounding advantage in all three games so far this season.
• The Explorers' 93 points mark the first time La Salle has scored 90 or more points since battling Rosemont College in December of last year.

UP NEXT

• La Salle hits the road for the first time this season, facing Big 5 rival Drexel on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will stream on FloHoops.