PHILADELPHIA – Fresh off a strong victory to open John Glaser Arena against American, the La Salle men's basketball team will host in-state foe, Lafayette on Saturday at 3:30p. The game is the second part of a Homecoming doubleheader, with the La Salle women facing Delaware at noon. One ticket grants admission to both contests.
The game will be televised on ESPN+, with Kale Beers and Richie Tarr delivering the play-by-play and color commentary. In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on X/Twitter
@LaSalle_MBB and Instagram
@lasallembb.
NEWS & NOTES
- The Explorers defeated the American Eagles, 65-52 to open the season. The game was the first to be played at the new John Glaser Arena.
- La Salle took the lead at 6-5 and never trailed again. The team was led by a trio of veterans in Corey McKeithan, whose 16 points fell just two short of his career-high, Jahlil White, who went 5-8 from the field and 4-4 from the line for 15 points and six boards, and Daeshon Shepherd, who added 10 points while hitting 80% from the field.
- Elsewhere on the stat-sheet, two-time transfer Mac Etienne set a career-high on the glass with eight rebounds.
- La Salle will looks to continue to build on the continuous improvement of head coach Fran Dunphy's first two seasons. The Explorers' winning percentage has climbed the last two seasons to its best winning percentage since the 2019-20 season.
- Like most of college basketball, La Salle experienced heavy turnover with the transfer portal this off-season. Five players exited the program via the portal, with five transferring in plus two freshmen. All five who joined the Explorers played 20 or more games at their previous institution, with three starting a large portion of the season.
- The lone freshman joining the program, guard Deuce Jones comes to La Salle as a three-star prospect, as ranked by 24/7 Sports. The Trenton, N.J. native was rated the 17th best point guard in his class and sixth-best player in New Jersey by the 24/7 Composite ranking. All five ranked above him are attending traditional men's basketball powers. He is the second-highest-rated La Salle signee in the modern recruiting era and fourth highest-rated freshman in the A-10 this season.
SCOUTING LAFAYETTE
- Lafayette is looking to rebound after a disappointing 2023-24 season where the Leopards earned an 11-21 record, including a 1-12 mark in non-conference play. The team bounced back with a 7-0 start in Patriot League play, before dropping its final five games. The squad opened the season at Villanova, dropping 75-63 to the Wildcats.
- The team returns a sizable chunk of the roster from a season-ago, with 10 players, including three starters, returning to Easton.
- The Leopards return two Third Team All-Conference players in guard Devin Hines and center Justin Vander Baan. Both scored in double-figures in the team's season-opener, with Vander Baan scoring a team-leading 16 points.
- Mike McGarvey leads the Leopards in his second season. He has amassed a 13-25 record in Easton. Prior to taking an associate head coaching position in 2022, he spent four seasons as the head coach at Lycoming College where he earned a record of 53-36.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST LAFAYETTE
- Saturday's game is the 49th time the Explorers and Leopards have clashed. It is La Salle's most played matchup outside of the A-10 or Big 5.
- La Salle holds a 36-12 advantage in the series.
- The two sides met last season, with La Salle taking the win 67-51. It was a career-day for Andres Marrero, who set a career-high 20 points.
- The two have faced off eight times in the 21st century. The Explorers have won five of the seven matchups.
