PHILADELPHIA, PA – The La Salle men's basketball team (7-16, 3-7 A-10) continues Atlantic 10 play on the road against No. 19 Saint Louis (22-1, 10-0 A-10) on Saturday afternoon in St. Louis at Chaifetz Arena.
Marshall Leads The Way
Graduate student guard Jaeden Marshall leads the team with 12.9 points per game and 44 3-point field goals. Marshall is shooting 69-of-78 (88.5%) from the free-throw line this season, the third-best free-throw percentage in the A-10 while ranking 43rd in the nation.
He enters the game against Saint Louis with 975 career points. Marshall has tallied more than 20 points in four different games this season. He missed the game against Saint Louis on Jan. 10 due to injury.
What's Up, Dock?
During A-10 play, redshirt sophomore guard Rob Dockery is averaging 12.3 points, a team-best 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and a team-best 1.7 steals per game while shooting a team-high 51.8% from the field.
After totaling 26 points (12-19 FG), 14 rebounds, and five assists against Saint Joseph's, Dockery was held to just five points (0-3 FG) against Loyola Chicago.
The Rookie
Freshman guard Ashton Walker leads all A-10 freshmen in assists (78), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0), and assists per game (3.4). He also ranks in the league's top 10 in all three categories. Along with Dockery, Walker is the only other Explorer to have played in all 23 games this season. Against Loyola Chicago, Walker finished with 10 points, a career-high eight rebounds, and four assists.
Floor General
After being held scoreless in his previous two games, sophomore guard Jaden Johnson finished with a pair of season-highs against Loyola Chicago, recording 16 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes of action.
In A-10 play, Johnson is third in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.7. He also ranks fifth with 4.1 assists per game. Johnson had 10 points, six assists, and a season-high three steals in the first meeting against Saint Louis.
Injury Bug
La Salle has had 98 games missed by 11 players this season, which is believed to be the third most in the nation, trailing Boston and Binghamton.
Against Loyola Chicago, starting forwards Jerome Brewer Jr. (11.8 PPG) and Josiah Harris (9.1 PPG) did not play due to injury. Brewer Jr. and Harris combined for 34 points in the first meeting against Saint Louis earlier this season.
Brewer Jr. leads the Explorers with 14 points and 31.2 minutes per game during A-10 play while shooting 51.6% from the field. Harris is averaging 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds during league play this season.
Starting Shuffle
Through 23 games, the Blue and Gold have rolled out 17 different starting lineups. 13 different players have started in a game this season. Only two players (Dockery and Johnson) have started in all 10 conference games. Walker is the only other player to appear in all 10 league games this season.
The Series
Saint Louis leads the all-time series 26-10 and has won the last eight games against the Explorers. Saint Louis earned an 84-72 road win against the Explorers earlier this season (Jan. 10).
Last Meeting with the Billikens
Saint Louis jumped out to a 44-24 lead during the first half. The Explorers outscored the Billikens 48-40 in the second half, becoming the first team to win a half against Saint Louis in A-10 play this season.
Josiah Harris led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds for La Salle, while Jerome Brewer added 15, and Jaden Johnson chipped in with 10.
Four Billikens reached double figures in the game, led by Robbie Avila's 18 points and six rebounds. Brady Dunlap also added 17 points, including four 3-pointers.
Scouting The Billikens
No. 19 Saint Louis enters the contest with a 16-game win streak and a 22-1overall record, including a perfect 15-0 at home and a 10-0 mark in the A-10.
The Billikens lead the nation in scoring margin (23.3), field goal percentage defense (36.5%), and defensive rebounds per game (31.2).
Saint Louis is also ranked in the nation's top 10 in several additional stat categories and has the nation's fifth-best scoring offense (91.3 points per game). Six Billikens are averaging at least 10 points per game.
Next Up
La Salle will return to John E. Glaser Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 11, to take on VCU at 6:30 p.m.
