Men's Basketball | March 12, 2024
BROOKLYN, N.Y – Following its thrilling victory against George Washington Tuesday afternoon, the La Salle men's basketball team will battle the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the second round of the Atlantic-10 Tournament at the Barclays Center. La Salle is seeking to reach the quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013.
The winner between the Explorers and Bonnies will face the two-seed Loyola Chicago in the third round on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on USA Network. An online radio broadcast via goexplorers.com will be available, as Kale Beers will provide the play-by-play. In addition, Explorers fans can follow the team on X/Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.
There will also be a pre-game and postgame reception at McMahon's Public House. Click
here to register for the event!
NEWS & NOTES
- La Salle has had a season marked with ups and downs. The Explorers began the season 9-3, with two of the three losses coming against ACC schools.
- As La Salle closed the non-conference schedule and entered A-10 play, it dropped 11 of its next 13 games. A three-game homestand, beginning with an impressive win over UMass, spurred La Salle to find its stride again. The Explorers closed the regular season winning four of six games.
- The Explorers defeated the 15 seed George Washington Revolutionaries, 61-60 in a thriller. The second half featured ten lead changes and eight ties. Jhamir Brickus hit the game-winner with 20 seconds remaining.
- Brickus, who became La Salle's first All-Conference selection since 2018 on Tuesday, flexed why he has been regarded as a star in the Atlantic-10 all season. He led all scorers with 21 points against George Washington and grabbed eight rebounds, his most since Saint Joseph's on 2/3/24.
- Khalil Brantley had his eighth straight game with five or more rebounds. He put together a statline of 15 points and nine rebounds.
- Daeshon Shepherd put together a quiet ten-point, eight-rebound performance. He has now reached double-figures in eight of the last nine games and has grabbed five or more boards in six straight games.
SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE
- St. Bonaventure is 18-12 and 9-9 in the Atlantic-10. The Bonnies have dropped the last two. They are 2-2 since facing La Salle three weeks ago.
- The team last fell to Saint Louis, 73-65 at home. SLU established an early lead and never relinquished its hold.
- Forward Chad Venning leads the Bonnies in points with 14.0 per game, he also averages 5.0 rebounds and blocks 1.7 shots.
- Mika Adams-Woods runs the point for the team after spending the last four seasons at Cincinnati. The guard averages 13.0 points and 3.5 assists per game. He achieved national recognition after scoring 22.3 points per game over three matchups during the week of 12/9.
- Mark Schmidt is in his 17th season with St. Bonaventure, and 23rd as a head coach. He is 382-315 in his career and 300-225 during his time with the Bonnies.
SERIES HISTORY
- La Salle and St. Bonaventure are longtime conference rivals. The Explorers joined the A-10 in 1995, while the Bonnies joined in 1979, three years after the conference was formed.
- The two have met 40 times on the floor. This is La Salle's closest A-10 pairing in terms of win percentage, with La Salle holding a two-game edge, 20-18 (.526).
- The two sides clashed at Tom Gola Arena earlier this season, with La Salle coming out on top, 72-59. The Explorers ended the first half on a 9-2 run and never looked back. Daeshon Shepherd set a new career-high with 23 points.
