Men's Basketball | February 28, 2024
Box Score PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The La Salle men's basketball team (14-15, 5-11 A-10) fell at the Duquesne Dukes (17-1, 7-8 A-10), 75-63 on Wednesday night. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Explorers.
Three Explorers scored in double-figures,
Daeshon Shepherd,
Khalil Brantley, and
Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi.
Explorers' fans can follow the team on X/Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The game started out at a slow clip. The teams combined to miss the first seven shots attempted. Duquesne broke the stalemate from the field (3-0, DU).
- La Salle struggled to score early, allowing the Dukes to jump out to a 6-2 lead by the first media timeout.
- Buckets from Brantley and Rokas Jocius tied the game at six all. The teams began to trade baskets, with Duquesne holding a slim 14-11 lead.
- The Explorers caught fire, going a 10-0 run, with buckets coming from four different players. Vahlberg Fasasi and Jhamir Brickus hit from beyond the arc during the run (21-14, LaS).
- Duquesne broke the run with a three-pointer. Brickus and Anwar Gill scored the next four points to extend the lead back to eight points.
- The back-and-forth continued, with Duquesne countering with the next two buckets (25-22, DU). Ryan Zan and Jocius scored the next couple to put the advantage at seven.
- The Dukes scored five straight to cut the lead down to two, 29-27.
- The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half, to give the Explorers a 34-31 lead heading into the half.
Second Half
- Duquesne began the half on a 12-2 run to take a 43-36 lead.
- La Salle hung in the game thanks to buckets from Jocius and Brantley, cutting the lead down to six (50-44, DU).
- The Dukes scored the next eight points to take a 58-44 advantage. La Salle attempted to climb back into the game via an and-one conversion from Shepherd. A layup from Vahlberg Fasasi cut the lead to single digits with 5:04 remaining (62-53, DU).
- The teams traded baskets as La Salle attempted to break through. Gill nailed a three-pointer with 3:09 left on the clock.
- The Explorers could not rally, falling 75-63.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Jhamir Brickus passed for five or more assists for the 33rd time in his career. He surpassed Charlie Wise (1972-76) to become eighth all-time on the La Salle career list with 411 assists.
- Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi scored 10 points. He has now scored in double-figures in three of the last four games.
- Khalil Brantley had an impressive night, scoring 14 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and passing for seven assists. He has now scored in double figures in nine of the last ten games and has grabbed at least five rebounds in the last four contests.
- Daeshon Shepherd has now scored in double figures in each of the last six games.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers return for one final game at Tom Gola Arena this Saturday at 2 p.m. as the George Washington Revolutionaries visit.
- Tickets are available here. The game will stream on ESPN+.
