Richmond, Va. – The La Salle men's basketball team will play its first road game in nearly two weeks as the Explorers hit the road to face conference power, the VCU Rams. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, with a 7:00 p.m. tip time.
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 73, GEORGE WASHINGTON 67
- La Salle took a thriller against the George Washington Revolutionaries, 73-67, on Saturday.
- After falling behind early, La Salle came back to tie the game 35 all at the half.
- The second half was as action-packed as they come. The frame featured 10 lead changes and six ties.
- GW held a one-point advantage with 2:30 left, but the Explorers scored eight straight points to take the win.
- Five Explorers scored in double-figures, with guards Deuce Jones and Corey McKeithan leading the charge, scoring 19 points each.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Rebounding has been established as the Explorers' calling card this season. La Salle ranks fourth in the A-10 in rebounding (38.5), its most rebounds per game since 1990-91 (40.2). The Explorers check in at 48th 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). 41 rebounds against George Washington are the most the Explorers have grabbed since Immaculata.
- McKeithan leads La Salle in scoring with 15.7 points, good for 11th in the conference. McKeithan has crossed double-figures in three straight games for the first time since early December.
- Demetrius Lilley is pulling down 6.9 boards per game, ranking 8th in the Atlantic-10. Lilley is in the midst of the best rebounding season by an Explorer since Ed Croswell in 2019-20.
- Shepherd is third on the team in scoring, adding 11.3 points per game. He has scored in double-figures in 16 of the Explorers' 22 games, including six of the seven outings.
- Jones has dazzled in his rookie campaign. He is the first Explorer to win Rookie of the Week five times in the same season since 2002-03 when Gary Neal accomplished the same feat. Jones leads the A-10 in assists amongst freshmen (2.6 apg) and is second in scoring (11.8 ppg). He has exploded onto the scene in conference play, reaching double-figures in each of the last seven games, averaging 17.0 points per game over that span.
- Jahlil White rounds out the starting five. The graduate transfer from Temple is averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He has reached double-digits in consecutive games for the first time since late November and is grabbing seven rebounds per game in his last five contests.
- Mac Etienne has started the last three games. The forward has tied his career-high with two steals in each of the last two contests and came one point short of his career-high against GW.
SCOUTING VCU
- VCU is 17-5 overall and 7-2 in the Atlantic-10. The team had won six straight games prior to falling on the road at St. Louis on Tuesday. The Rams most recently blew out crosstown rival Richmond, 90-49 on Saturday.
- Max Shulga is the headliner for the Rams. The native of Ukraine was named First-Team All-Conference last season, he briefly committed to Big 5 rival Villanova before returning to Richmond.
- Ryan Odom, who famously led UMBC to its historic win over No. 1 seed Virginia in the 2018 NCAA tournament, leads VCU in his second season. He is 211-125 in his career and 40-19 with the Rams.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST VCU
- La Salle and VCU have shared a home in the A-10 since 2013 when VCU joined the league.
- La Salle has dropped its last nine over the Rams.
- The last win for La Salle against the Rams came on February 11, 2015, when Jordan Price scored 34 points and added 18 rebounds in a 74-69 double-overtime road win.
