La Salle Explorers Men's Basketball
La Salle Blows Double Digit Lead to GMU in A-10 Opener
PHILADELPHIA— La Salle held the lead for 34 minutes and 18 seconds of their A-10 opener against conference favorite George Mason on Wednesday, Dec. 31, but it wasn’t enough for them to stave off a late scoring push in an 80-75 loss to the Patriots.
George Mason junior guard Kory Mincy made a pair of free throws to put the Patriots ahead 74-73 with 1:51 to play. He then stole the ball away from Jaeden Marshall in a scrum under the basket, and a Fatt Hill layup pushed the deficit to three points. A Stas Sivka putback put the Patriots ahead by two possessions with 19 seconds to play, all but sealing the win.
The Patriots opened play with excellent ball movement and a full-court press. La Salle (4-10, 0-1 A-10) countered with similar intensity, winning 22-18 on the glass in the first half and outperforming George Mason at the free throw line, converting nine of 11 foul shots to the Patriots’ four of 10 clip.
6-foot-6 sophomore guard Rob Dockery added ten points off the bench in the first half, helping the Explorers string together a 10-0 run with an and-one midway through the frame. George Mason responded with a 7-0 run of their own that closed the gap to 29-25, but late threes from Dockery and Marshall gave La Salle a 42-35 lead at the break.
Jerome Brewer Jr. Stands On His Head
Dockery racked up his third foul of the game just two minutes and 20 seconds into the second half, and Explorers’ head coach Darris Nichols turned to 6-foot-9 junior forward Jerome Brewer Jr. in response. Brewer scored all but four of his 21 points in the second half, catching fire for three threes as he ensured that La Salle didn’t miss a beat.
A Brewer triple put the Explorers ahead 63-53 with 11:25 to play. They didn’t make another shot from the field for five minutes and 49 seconds, allowing George Mason to claw back within one point.
La Salle will play their A-1o road opener at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3 when they take on George Washington. Their last win came on Dec. 6 against Drexel in the Big 5 Classic’s fifth-place game.
