PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will host the LIU Sharks for homecoming on Saturday, Nov. 7, at John E. Glaser. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Houston native Kam Burton returned home to lead the La Salle men's basketball team with 15 points, but the Explorers suffered a 94-55 defeat against No. 10 Houston in their season opener on Nov. 2, 2026.
Burton connected on 4-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc and shot 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. As of Nov. 6, Burton ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in 3-point field goal attempts and seventh in the league in 3-pointers made.
3-point shooting was an emphasis for La Salle against No. 10 Houston. The Explorers attempted 39 shots from downtown but made only eight of them (20.5%). As of Nov. 6, the 39 attempts are the most in the A10 and the sixth most in the NCAA. It marked the Explorers' most 3-point attempts in a single game in nearly five years. La Salle launched 40 attempts in an 86-81 overtime defeat against Sacred Heart on Nov. 9, 2021.
The Explorers' season high for 3-point attempts in a single game last season was 26 against George Washington on Feb. 24, 2026.
Philadelphia native Devin Booker finished as La Salle's second-highest scorer with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting against No. 10 Houston. Making his regular-season debut for the Explorers after transferring from George Mason, the sophomore guard fought through a dominant Cougars defense to provide secondary scoring over 26 minutes of play.
Senior center Bowyn Beatty anchored the interior for La Salle against the Cougars, finishing with five points while leading the squad with seven rebounds. Beatty made 3-of-5 free-throw attempts, the most by an Explorer in the contest.
The Canberra, Australia, native returned to action after an injury shortened his 2025-26 campaign in January. The seven-footer provided a physical presence off the bench in 16 minutes. Beatty is one of two returning players for La Salle to play against LIU last season. Beatty played 13 minutes against the Sharks last year, finishing with six points on 3-of-5 shooting and four rebounds, while taking two charges on the defensive end of the floor.
The Explorers connected on 17-of-23 (73.9%) free throw attempts against No. 10 Houston. La Salle attempted at least 20 free throws in 17 of their 32 contests last season and attempted 30 free throws in five games last season.
Making his collegiate debut, Philadelphia native RJ Smith, a 5-foot-9-inch freshman guard, handled significant ball distribution responsibilities over 15 minutes of action against a relentless Cougars defense. Smith led all Explorers with five assists, while committing just one turnover, matching three Houston players for the individual game-high in assists. Smith ranks third in the A10 and 57th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.00) and 11th in the A10 in total assists.
Redshirt junior guard Rob Dockery led the Explorers with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and hauled in six rebounds in 18 minutes in the 107-61 exhibition win against Neumann on Oct. 27. Dockery finished with just one point and three rebounds against No. 10 Houston, fouling out after just seven minutes of action with five turnovers.
Dockery, a second team A10 preseason selection, will look to regroup against LIU. Dockery played 11 minutes off the bench against the Sharks last season.
Philadelphia native Anthony Finkley scored the first six points of the game for the Explorers against the Cougars, making a pair of 3-point field goals. Finkley finished the contest with six points, one block, and one steal in 23 minutes of action.
