Men's Basketball | March 7, 2024
CHICAGO – The La Salle men's basketball team (15-15, 6-11 A-10) closes out the regular season at the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (22-8, 14-3 A-10) on Saturday at Gentile Arena. Both teams have been playing at a high level. La Salle has won four of its last five games, and Loyola has won nine of its last ten. The game will tip at 4 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+ and NBC Sports Chicago+.
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.
NEWS & NOTES
- La Salle got back to its winning ways, claiming a 72-66 victory over George Washington in the final game at Tom Gola Arena.
- The Explorers powered over George Washington in the first half, going into the break with a 38-30 lead.
- GW found itself in the second half, taking its first lead since the early portion of the contest, 48-46. The Explorers would not back down, taking a 60-56 lead and not letting up the rest of the contest.
- Anwar Gill scored 15 points, the most points he has scored since putting up a season-high 24 against Saint Louis.
- Khalil Brantley again put up a well-rounded stat line, with 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
- For the second-straight game, Daeshon Shepherd tied his career-high in steals with three. Shepherd also scored in double figures for the 7th straight game. He is averaging 16.8 points per game in his last seven.
SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO
- Loyola Chicago is 22-8 and 14-3 in the Atlantic-10. They have been one of the hottest teams in the country as of late, winning nine of their last ten games.
- The Ramblers won a nationally televised thriller vs No. 21 Dayton last Friday, 77-72. The team kept the good times rolling with a 69-59 win over Davidson on Wednesday.
- Loyola Chicago is remarkably well-balanced on offense, with five different players averaging over eight points per game. Des Watson leads all players with 13.1 points per game.
- The Ramblers are one of the top assisting teams in the nation, with 17.0 assists per game. They lead the conference in the metric and are ranked 19th nationally.
- Drew Valentine is at the helm of the Ramblers in his third season. He is 57-37 in his three years with the team. Valentine had previously been an assistant with the program for four seasons. He is the older brother of former Michigan State star and NBA player Denzel Valentine.
SERIES HISTORY
- La Salle and Loyola Chicago met for the first time as conference foes last season, La Salle leads the all-time series, 5-1.
- The two met once last season in a 76-73 thriller at Tom Gola Arena to conclude the season. La Salle rallied from 13 points down with five minutes remaining, but fell just short, missing the game-tying three-pointer.
