Philadelphia, PA – The La Salle men's basketball team opened the Darris Nichols era with an 87-59 victory over Coppin State on Wednesday night at John E. Glaser Arena.
Four Explorers scored in double figures, led by freshman Walker's 18 points and seven rebounds in his collegiate debut. Graduate student
Jaeden Marshall added 15 points, while fellow graduate student
Jerome Brewer Jr. added 14 points. Redshirt-sophomore
Rob Dockery finished with 13 points.
La Salle came out hot, starting the season on a 27-4 run in the first 12 minutes of the game. The Explorers limited Coppin state to just 8-29 (27.6%) shooting in the first half.
Leading 47-23 at the midway mark, the Blue and Gold outscored the Eagles 40-36 in the second half to cruise to an 87-59 victory.
Using their signature playstyle, the Explorers shot 35 free throws on the night, converting 27 of them, while outrebounding Coppin State 44-28 and holding a 34-26 edge in points in the paint.
Graduate students
Josiah Harris and
Justin Archer joined Walker with a team-high seven rebounds.
La Salle returns to the floor on Saturday for a 3:30 homecoming contest against Monmouth.
