PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will conclude a stretch of three road games in 11 days on Wednesday as the Explorers travel to face the Saint Louis Billikens. This is La Salle's only trip outside the Eastern Time Zone this season.
The game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network Midwest and streamed on ESPN+. The game audio will also be streamed with Kale Beers providing play-by-play. Additionally, Explorers fans can follow the team on X/Twitter @LaSalle_MBB and Instagram @LaSalleMBB.
LAST TIME OUT - LA SALLE 60, MASSACHUSETTS 82
- A huge final eight minutes powered the Massachusetts Minutemen to a win over the Explorers.
- La Salle trailed by eight points at halftime. After climbing back into the game to tie the score at 57 with 8:42 remaining, the Explorers were outscored by a large margin the rest of the way.
- Deuce Jones and Daeshon Shepherd put up strong performances. Jones scored 17 points, his third consecutive meeting scoring 15 or more points. Shepherd added 12 and tied his season-high with eight rebounds.
NEWS AND NOTES
- La Salle is tied for its best offensive season in over three decades. The Explorers are averaging 76.8 points per game, tied with 2010-11 for the most since the 1991-92 season (80.1) when the team won the MAAC.
- Ball possession has become a key component of the La Salle attack. La Salle is averaging the most possessions per contest of any Fran Dunphy team in the KenPom era, while also limiting turnovers.
- Rebounding has been established as the Explorers' calling card this season. La Salle ranks fourth in the A-10 in rebounding (38.4), its most rebounds per game since 1990-91 (40.2). The Explorers check in at 54th nationally in the category. After the Immaculata game on Dec. 21, the Explorers have recorded two games with over 50 rebounds for the first time since 2011 (4).
- Corey McKeithan leads La Salle in scoring with 15.9 points, good for 11th in the conference. He tied his season-high, with six assists against UMass.
- Demetrius Lilley is pulling down 7.1 boards per game, ranking 7th in the Atlantic-10. Lilley is in the midst of the best rebounding season by an Explorer since Ed Croswell in 2019-20. Lilley scored 10 points against UMass, his second time reaching double figures in the last three games.
- Shepherd is third on the team in scoring, adding 11.7 points per game. He has scored in double-figures in 13 of the Explorers' 17 games.
- Jones has dazzled in his rookie campaign. He became the first Explorer to win Rookie of the Week four times in the same season since 2002-03 when Gary Neal accomplished the same feat. Jones leads the A-10 in assists amongst freshmen (2.4 apg) and is second in scoring (10.7 ppg).
- Jahlil White rounds out the starting five. The graduate transfer from Temple is averaging 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
- Eric Acker has made a large impact off the bench after sitting out the first 10 games of the season. He is adding 9.5 points per game through his first eight games.
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
- Saint Louis is off to one of its best conference starts in years. After an up and down start to the season, the Billikens are 5-1 in its last six games, including a 4-1 mark in A-10 play. The squad is 11-7 overall.
- SLU is led by a trio of stars: Indiana State transfers Robbie Aliva and Isaiah Swoope and three-time All-A-10 selection Gibson Jimerson. All three are averaging over 17 points per game.
- Josh Schertz is in his first season as head coach at Saint Louis. He comes from Indiana State where he led the Sycamores to a 32-7 record in his final season. He holds a 403-109 record in 16 seasons as a head coach.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST SAINT LOUIS
- La Salle and Saint Louis first met on the floor in 1951.
- The Billikens have won nine of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2018.
- The Explorers' last win against Saint Louis was on Feb. 3, 2021, when they posted an 82-75 victory at Tom Gola Arena.
- The two sides met last season in Philadelphia, with the Billikens winning in a shootout, 102-84.
