PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team overcame an intense second half featuring 10 lead changes, to defeat Rhode Island, snapping a two-game skid and advancing to 8-1 at John Glaser Arena. The Rams drilled a three with 28 seconds left to cut the deficit to three points, but multiple clutch free throws from
Corey McKeithan secured the victory for La Salle.
Daeshon Shepherd starred, scoring 11 points and grabbing a season-high 10 rebounds for La Salle's first double-double since
Jahlil White scored 11 points to go along with 12 rebounds against Temple on November 30. Four Explorers scored in double-figures against the Rams.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:
- The battle was ferocious early on, with neither side able to gain a significant edge. Jahlil White scored six of the Explorers' first 12 points, with the score URI 13, La Salle 12.
- The Explorer offense built a lead of six points, 25-19 off a diverse assortment of scorers. URI scored the next eight points to retake the lead.
- Shepherd and Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi each converted three-point plays to give La Salle a 33-31 lead going into the half.
Second Half:
- Rhode Island got out to a slight lead in first few minutes of the second half, but La Salle threw an impressive counterpunch. The Explorers scored seven straight points to take a 41-37 lead.
- Both teams threw haymakers as the lead traded back and forth through the middle of the half. Neither side was able to gain a lead of more than three points until Deuce Jones found a wide-open Vahlberg Fasasi beyond the arc, 52-46.
- The Rams stormed back to tie it up at 53 after Jaden House made his eighth and ninth free throws of the night with 6:31 remaining.
- Two Jones free throws gave the Explorers a 6-point lead with less than two minutes remaining.
- Despite a long Sebastian Thomas three-pointer to cut the lead to three, the Explorers held on for a six-point victory, their 11th win of the season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Shepherd racked up a season-high ten rebounds to go along with 11 points, the fourth double-double of his career.
- White, Vahlberg Fasasi, and Shepherd combined for nine blocks, the most for any Explorer trio this season.
- Four-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, Jones registered a career-high in free throws with nine made shots from the charity stripe.
NEXT UP
La Salle returns to John Glaser Arena on Wednesday for a battle with the Fordham Rams at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on Peacock. Tickets are available on GoExplorers.com/tickets.
