CHICAGO - The La Salle men's basketball team (15-16, 6-12 A-10) concluded its regular season, falling to conference leader Loyola Chicago (23-8, 15-3 A-10), 64-54. Results around the Atlantic 10 secured the 10 seed in the A-10 tournament, La Salle's highest seed since 2019. The Explorers will face George Washington in the first round on Tuesday.
Explorers' fans can follow the team on X/Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @lasallembb.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- La Salle opened the game strong on offense, with Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi and Daeshon Shepherd splashing threes to establish a 6-4 lead.
- After Loyola Chicago tied the game at six, Rokas Jocius scored the next seven points to give the Explorers a 13-6 advantage.
- The teams traded 4-0 runs, punctuated by a Ryan Zan dunk to give La Salle a 17-10 lead. Loyola scored the next 11 points to take a 21-17 lead.
- Anwar Gill scored on two tough layups to tie the game back up at 21.
- The teams went back and forth for the next few possessions, ending up tied at 25. The Ramblers scored the next 12 to take a 37-25 lead.
- Valhberg Fasasi hit a three with 28 seconds left on the clock to set the halftime score at 37-28.
Second Half
- The second half began with an action-packed first few minutes. The squads traded baskets, with Loyola holding a 44-36 lead at the under-16 timeout.
- The Ramblers got going, expanding to lead to 15 points, 53-38 with 10:50 remaining.
- The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, with Brickus draining a three to trim the lead to 12 going into the under-8 timeout (57-45, Loyola).
- Neither team could make inroads for the remainder of the game. La Salle stood strong on defense, only allowing four points over seven minutes of gameplay (61-52, Loyola).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- La Salle closes the season winning four of its last six games.
- Jhamir Brickus had another strong all-around performance, scoring a team-leading 11 points, grabbing six rebounds, and passing for four assists. He has scored in double figures 64 times in his career.
- Khalil Brantley grabbed five rebounds, He has now pulled down five or more boards in seven straight games. He reached double figures for the 62nd time in his career.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers face George Washington in the First Round of the Atlantic 10 tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The game will stream on ESPN+.
