La Salle 84 Rhode Island 61: Tempo Free numbers and Notes

La Salle literally led from opening tip to final buzzer. The Explorers defeated Rhode Island 84-61 at Tom Gola Arena. on Sunday.  The Explorers are now 14-14 (5-10) while Rhode Island dropped to 11-16 (5-8). 

Possessions: 72

Offensive efficiency: La Salle 117, Rhode Is. 85

Four Factors:

Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals/turnovers)

La Salle 2.70

Rhode Is. 1.07

Leading scorers:

La Salle- Khalil Brantley 22 points. Brantley shot 5 of 7 from downtown, adding five rebounds and four assists.

Rhode Is- Brandon Weston 12 points. The sophomore forward was 5 of 8 from the floor.

Kenpom.com MVP: Rokas Jocius. The La Salle sophomore center scored a career-high 20 points. The 6’10” Jocius canned two three pointers, grabbed six rebounds and blocked four shots. 

How it happened. The Explorers jumped out to a 7-4 early lead and never looked back. The lead grew to 16 prior to the half that closed with  La Salle in front 42-28.

    Fran Dunphy’s group kept the pedal to the medal, starting the second half fast and building a lead that reached 27. The offense clicked, shooting 51% , with eight players entering the scorebook. The defense was active as well. La Salle limited Rhode Island to 40% shooting from the floor while enjoying a 21-4 edge in points off turnovers. 

The hosts pushed the ball and were very effective. Archie Miller’s Rams simply could not start a run of significance as the Explorers were dominant.

Daeshon Shepherd scored 13 points with eight rebounds. It was the fifth straight game Shepherd, selected Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week, scorer in double figures. 

Rhode Island dropped their fourth consecutive contest and will travel to VCU on Wednesday. La Salle, winners of three straight, visit Duquesne on Wednesday.

Rhode Island is 11th and La Salle 12th in the A10 standings. Explorers could be a team to watch in the tournament in Brooklyn. A lot depends on how they match up with their opposition. This much is evident, Dunphy has his group playing their best basketball at the most opportune time.