SAINT LOUIS – The La Salle men's basketball team dropped a road battle at the Saint Louis Billikens, 64-52 on Wednesday night. A slow start to the second half on offense doomed the Explorers, who trailed by six points at halftime.
Rookie sensation
Deuce Jones scored in Jones reached double-figures for the fourth straight game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:
- La Salle held a slight advantage after the first few minutes thanks largely to stifling defense. The Explorers led 13-9 following the second media timeout.
- The Blue & Gold established an eight-point lead as SLU continued to struggle to find the bottom of the basket. An impressive post play from Mac Etienne put La Salle up, 21-13.
- Saint Louis ended the first half on an 18-4 run, including scoring the final seven points of the half to lead 31-25 at halftime.
Second Half:
- La Salle's defense stood strong, only allowing 12 points in the first nine minutes of the second half, however, the Explorers could not capitalize, not scoring their first field goal until nearly ten minutes had elapsed.
- Both sides found their offensive stride, but the Billikens continued to outpace the Explorers, stretching the lead to as many as 20 points.
- Jones was a second-half bright spot, scoring ten points.
- La Salle cut into the lead, but it was too little, too late, Saint Louis took the win, 64-52.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Daeshon Shepherd grabbed seven rebounds, his second straight game with seven and third in the last four.
- Demetrius Lilley collected seven of the glass. It is his fifth consecutive game with five or more boards.
- Jahlil White's eight rebounds are his most since Dayton on New Year's Eve.
NEXT UP
La Salle returns to John Glaser Arena on Saturday for the first of three straight home games. The Explorers will host Rhode Island at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Tickets are available at GoExplorers.com/tickets.
