Richmond, Va. – The La Salle men's basketball team fell on the road to conference power, the VCU Rams, 96-66 on Tuesday night at the Siegel Center.
Mac Etienne was a bright spot for the Explorers. The redshirt junior blocked six shots, the second most of any player in the Atlantic-10 this season, the most of any player since Clifton Moore (7) in 2022, and the third most of any Explorer in the 21
st century. He also tied his career-high with three assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:
- Daeshon Shepherd capitalized on a pair of steals on the first two possessions of the game to take a 3-0 La Salle lead. VCU scored the next eight to take an 8-3 lead and force an Explorers timeout.
- Jahlil White made some key early plays to keep La Salle in the game, swiping the ball for a steal and scoring four straight points (8-7, VCU).
- The two sides traded blows, with both sides finding the bottom of the net with ease. Between the under-16 and under-12 timeout, the teams only had one empty possession (16-16)
- The Rams went on a 13-0 run to go up 29-16 with 8:26 remaining.
- The teams traded baskets until VCU went on another run to end the half to extend its lead to 20 points. The Rams led 48-28 going into halftime.
Second Half:
- Deuce Jones and Shepherd combined for La Salle's first ten points of the second half.
- The Rams scored 19 straight points, ended by back-to-back dunks from Demetrius Lilley and Eric Acker.
- La Salle stopped the bleeding and cut into the lead late with admirable play off the bench. VCU took the win by a score of 96-66.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Etienne grabbed seven rebounds. His second consecutive game with seven or more rebounds.
- White scored 10 points, his third consecutive game in double-figures. It is the first time this season he has accomplished this feat. He also went 6-6 from the line, to earn a season-high in made free throws.
- La Salle only turned the ball over six times.
- Andres Marrero has scored in two of the last three games after five scoreless outings.
- Ryan Zan scored a season-high five points.
NEXT UP
La Salle returns home on Sunday to John E. Glaser Arena to host the Massachusetts Minutemen in a rematch from earlier in the season. The game will tip at 2 p.m. on USA Network. Tickets are available at GoExplorers.com/tickets.