PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team fell on Sunday to the Massachusetts Minutemen, 78-55.

Corey McKeithan paced La Salle in scoring with 17 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half:

• The game kicked off with a tight back and forth. Mac Etienne tied the game at nine after five minutes.
• McKeithan and Ryan Zan drained back-to-back threes to give the Explorers a 20-15 lead with 9 minutes left in the half.
• Zan knocked down another deep ball to knot the contest at 25 after a UMass run gave the visitors the lead.
• The teams traded baskets for the final few minutes of the first half. Rahsool Diggins scored five straight Minutemen points to end the period and give the squad a 35-51 advantage at the break.

 
Second Half:

• Following a Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi layup, UMass scored eight straight to take a ten-point lead (43-33).
• McKeithan and Zan combined for six straight Explorer points to get back within six, but the Minutemen countered with five of their own to get back ahead by double-digits.
• Following a pair of McKeithan free throws, the Minutemen scored nine straight points to bury La Salle under an 18-point lead, 59-41.
• The Explorers were unable to close the gap, falling to UMass, 78-55.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shepherd grabbed seven rebounds, his sixth time this season with seven or more boards.
• Ryan Zan scored a season-high eight points and tied his career-high with two three-pointers.

NEXT UP

La Salle heads to Hawk Hill on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip-time against Saint Joseph's. The game will stream on ESPN+.