PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle men's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 A-10) steamrolled the Lafayette Leopards (0-2, 0-0 Patriot), 81-60 on Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,001, the first sellout in John Glaser Arena history.
 
For the second straight game, La Salle dominated the glass. The Explorers racked up 52 rebounds, the most since last season's triple-overtime thriller at Temple (59) and most in a 40-minute game since 2011 grabbed 56 against Fordham on March 2, 2011.
 
Explorers' fans can follow the team on X/Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half

• Andres Marrero scored early and often, scorching the net for the first eight points of the game.
• The teams traded runs of five points each to put the score at 13-5 with five minutes gone.
• La Salle kicked the offense into high gear, scoring 10 of the next 15 points to build a 23-10 lead going into the under 12 media timeout.
• Lafayette cut the lead back to single digits several times over the next few minutes, but could not cut deeper than eight points (26-18) into the lead.
• A Corey McKeithan heat check proved to a be turning point in the first half, giving the Explorers a 33-19 lead giving way to a run that firmly put La Salle in front, 40-21 with 4:17 left on the clock.
• The teams traded baskets as the first frame wound down, the Explorers took at 45-28 lead into the intermission.
• Marrero led La Salle in the first with 14 points, going 4-5 from deep.

Second Half

• The Leopards came out of the half swinging, cutting the lead down to 12 points quickly, 47-35, and keeping the game within range for the first few minutes.
• La Salle scored the next nine points while holding Lafayette scoreless for the next four minutes. The run was highlighted by a Daeshon Shepherd dunk that sent the arena into a frenzy.
• McKeithan hit a mid-range jumper to give the Explorers its first 20 point lead of the game, 58-38.
• The Explorers kept hammering the visiting Leopards, dominating the glass and extending the lead to 27, 70-43, thanks to efforts from Demetrius Lilley and sharp shooting from McKeithan.
• The homestanding Explorers stretched their lead to 32 points, 79-47, with three minutes remaining.
• Lafayette cut into the advantage in the last couple minutes as La Salle took its foot off the gas. The Explorers took the game by a final score of, 81-60.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Marrero's 18 points are the most he has scored in a single game since the last time La Salle played Lafayette. The guard set a career-high of 20 in that contest.
• Lilley shattered his previous career-high of six rebounds, grabbing 13 off the rim.
• Jahlil White recorded the first double-double of the season for the Explorers. The graduate student scored 16 points and picked up 13 rebounds while going an outstanding 6-7 from the field. It is the seventh of his career.
• Corey McKeithan has put up 30 points in the last two games, the second best two-game scoring stretch of his career (31 points in two games last season at Rider).
• Walk-on Jason Umosella saw the first action of his career.
• Three veterans, Charles Ireland, Milos Kovacevic, and James Joseph got on the floor for the first time this season.

 
UP NEXT

• The Explorers close out their season-opening homestand on Tuesday at 6:30 as the Cornell Big Red visit John Glaser Arena. The game will stream on ESPN+. Tickets are available at GoExplorers.com.