PHILADELPHIA, PA – The La Salle men's basketball team (7-13, 3-4 A-10) is searching for its third straight win as the Explorers hit the road to take on Fordham (10-10, 1-6 A-10) in The Bronx on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m.
Explorers Earn Signature Win Against Dayton
Against Dayton, Darris Nichols earned his first signature win in his first season with the Explorers, which also marked the 75th victory of his coaching career.
The Explorers prevailed 67-64 in a thriller on Jan. 21, which snapped Dayton's five-game unbeaten streak to start A-10 play.
La Salle jumped out to an early 33-8 lead in the first 12 minutes of play and held on down the stretch to secure the victory. The Blue and Gold need just two more conference wins to match their A-10 win total from last season.
Marshall Leads The Way
Graduate student guard Jaeden Marshall leads La Salle with 13.6 points per game and 39 3-point field goals. Marshall is shooting 66-of-73 (90.4%) from the free-throw line this season, the second-best percentage in the A-10 while ranking 22nd in the nation. He enters the game with 951 career points.
Marshall elected to come off the bench for the games against St. Bonaventure and Dayton and delivered back-to-back 20+ point performances, upping his total to four on the season. He also shot a combined 9-of-17 (52.9%) from beyond the arc in those contests.
Against Dayton, which was the 100th game of his career, Marshall tallied a game-high 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers. He also made all seven of his attempts at the free-throw line.
A Storm Is Brewing
Redshirt junior forward Jerome Brewer Jr. is averaging 13.7 points per game during A-10 play while shooting 53.8% from the field. He leads the Explorers with 31.9 minutes per game and 35 made field goals during conference play.
Post Presence
In league play, graduate student forward Josiah Harris is averaging 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Harris is playing in his 98th career game and enters the contest with 822 career points and 702 career rebounds.
What's Up, Dock?
During A-10 play, redshirt sophomore guard Rob Dockery is averaging 11.1 points, a team-high 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting a team-best 55.1 % from the field. Dockery has delivered two 20+ point scoring outings this season, both in conference play.
The Rookie
Ashton Walker continues to impress during his rookie season. Walker leads all A-10 freshmen in minutes (491) and assists (64). He ranks in the top five among A-10 freshmen in points per game (7.1) and rebounds per game (3.4).
Starting Shuffle
Through 20 games, the Blue and Gold have rolled out 15 different starting lineups. 13 players have started at least one game this season.
Getting To The Line
In A-10 play, La Salle is third in the league with 171 free throw attempts, averaging 24.4 attempts during the seven-game stretch. The Explorers went a shot 20-for-20 from the charity stripe against St. Bonaventure, which is believed to be the program's single-game record.
The Series
La Salle leads the all-time series 45-22. Fordham won the lone meeting last season, 88-72. The first meeting between the programs occurred on March 8, 1954, in the first round of the 1954 NCAA Tournament. It was a 76-74 overtime win for La Salle, led by Tom Gola's 28 points and 16 rebounds. 12 days later, the Explorers went on to capture the national championship.
Scouting The Rams
Fordham ranks 12th in the NCAA with a rebound margin of 9.6 and 21st in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 65.4 points per game, the fewest allowed per game in the A-10.
During A-10 play, the Rams are 1-4 in games decided by single digits while La Salle is 3-1 in such games.
The Rams feature the A-10's leading scorer, DeJour Reaves, who is averaging 17.7 points per game and has scored an A-10 best 336 points. Rikus Schulte is second in the league and 10th in the nation with 3.9 offensive rebounds per game. He is second in the A-10 and 22nd in the NCAA with 193 rebounds.
Next Up
La Salle will return to John E. Glaser Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31, to host crosstown rival Saint Joseph's. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.
