RICHMOND, Va. – Senior guard Khalil Brantley scored 22 points, including 16 in the second half, as the La Salle men's basketball team (11-13, 2-9 A-10) fell in a back-and-forth affair at Atlantic-10 leader Richmond (17-6, 9-1 A-10). The Explorers trailed by 15 points early in the second half but stormed back to hold the lead with 9:50 remaining. Despite a strong effort, the Explorers could not keep the pace up, dropping the contest by a score of 82-65.
 
Four Explorers scored in double figures (Brantley, Brickus, Jocius, and Shepherd). It is the second time in three games La Salle has reached this benchmark.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half

• The two teams came out hot, trading baskets for the first couple of minutes. Daeshon Shepherd put down an explosive second-chance dunk to tie the game at four all.
• The Explorers scored six of the next eight points to jump out to a 12-6 advantage.
• La Salle continued to build its lead to 16-8. Rokas Jocius scored six of the team's first 16 points.
• The Spiders found their footing, going on an 8-2 run to trim the lead down to two points (18-16, LaS).
• Jhamir Brickus scored five straight points for La Salle to keep the Explorers in the driver's seat, 23-18 with 9:18 remaining in the first half.
• Richmond ended the half on a 16-4 run to take a 36-27 lead into the break.

Second Half

• The second half began with four points in under a minute from Richmond. La Salle counter-punched with seven of the next ten points, including five from Brantley (43-33, RICH).
• The scoring continued to come in bunches. Richmond led 50-35 with 15:57 left on the clock.
• La Salle got hot, exploding for a 16-0 run to take a one-point lead, 51-50.
• Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi hit two three-pointers, with Brantley contributing eight points over the course of the run. The junior guard hit a three-pointer with 10:38 remaining to give La Salle its first lead since it was 23-22 in the first half.
• Richmond hit back-to-back threes to give the Spiders a five-point cushion, 58-53.
• The two sides traded baskets for the next minute, with Brantley keeping pace with Richmond (65-59, RICH).
• The Spiders scored eight straight points to give Richmond a 73-59 advantage with three minutes remaining. The Explorers could not close the gap the rest of the way.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Khalil Brantley led the Explorers with 22 points, his most since scoring 23 at Miami in December. The guard scored in double figures for the fifth straight game. It is the 17^th time this season and the 56^th time in his career.
• Rokas Jocius recorded the second double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It is the fourth straight game the forward has recorded a milestone after setting a career-high in rebounds at Rhode Island (13) and putting new career-highs in points in his last two games, with 15 against Saint Joseph's and 19 last game versus Saint Louis.
• Jhamir Brickus scored in double figures for the 19^th time this season and 59^th time in his career. The Coatesville, Pa. native scored 12 points.
• La Salle won the rebounding battle, 34-29.
• Richmond's Dji Bailey tied for the game-high with 22 points, shooting 9-10 from the line.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers continue their road trip with a visit to Davidson on Tuesday.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 and the game will be aired live on ESPN+.