PHILADELPHIA - Senior guard
Jhamir Brickus poured in 24 points and added eight rebounds and eight assists, but the La Salle men's basketball team saw a second-half lead slip away in an 88-82 loss to Saint Joseph's on Saturday.
Brickus went 8-for-13 from the floor and 6-of-8 from three-point range while also not committing a turnover in 35 minutes of action. Three other Explorers registered 15 points each - junior
Khalil Brantley and sophomores Andres Marrero and
Rokas Jocius.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first half was a run-and-gun type game where both offenses flourished.
- For the Explorers, they finished the first half with 44 points, connectin on nine three-pointers as they entered the break leading 44-38.
- La Salle took control to start the second stanza, leading 64-52 at the 10:45 mark after a jumper by Brickus.
- But the Hawks would storm back, scoring nine straight points to trim the margin to three with 9:29 to go.
- Two free throws from Jocius and a triple by Brickus re-upped the advantage to 69-61, before SJU again went on a run - this time 12-0 - to gain control.
- With the score 81-73 in favor of St. Joe's with just over three minutes remaining, La Salle went on one last run as Brickus scored five straight to put the score at 81-78.
- Marrero forced a turnover on the next possession and the Explorers had a chance to pull closer, but a pair of shots missed and the Hawks grabbed the board.
- From there, SJU made 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to seal the game and take home the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Jocius' 15 points set a new career mark for the 6-10 center, as he went 6-of-9 from the floor to go along with six rebounds
- Marrero's 15 points came on 6-of-10 shooting and 3-of-6 from three-point land.
- The Explorers had another positive assist to turnover ratio, collecting 18 assists and turning the ball over just six times - just one of which came in the first 20 minutes of play.
- Erik Reynolds II posted a team-high 21 points for the Hawks, who shot 47.3 percent from the floor and 47.6% from three-point range.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers host Saint Louis on Wednesday, February 7 at Tom Gola Arena.
- Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 and the game will be aired live on ESPN+.