La Salle comes up short against VCU, 85-66
The Explorers may have been rusty, playing only their second game in 21 days.
After having road games against Rhode Island and St. Louis postponed because of coronavirus concerns, the La Salle Explorers were back at Tom Gola Arena on Saturday for just their second game in 21 days.
Welcoming Christian Ray and Anwar Gill back into the mix, the Explorers had their hands full with Virginia Commonwealth. The Rams improved to 9-4, posting an 85-66 Atlantic 10 victory behind 17 points from Marcus Tsohonis. VCU is 2-0 in the A-10.
Gill suffered an ankle injury against Fordham on Dec. 30, and Ray missed that game altogether. Both looked sharp in their first game back, while Clifton Moore continued to excel, leading the Explorers in scoring with 21 points.
“The one thing that’s encouraging is that we’ve had Cliff with two games where he’s played well,” La Salle coach Ashley Howard said. “Josh [Nickelberry] has had a couple good games, Jack Clark has had a couple good games. We’ve just got to have a night where everyone just puts it all together. We haven’t had that yet. It’s coming, we’ve just got to keep working and keep these guys positive and encouraged so we can continue to get better.”
The real thorn in VCU’s side was 6-foot-1 guard Khalil Brantley. Bringing his signature energy and slick skill set into every shift, Brantley was a key player in trying to break through the Rams’ tight defense. The freshman continues to be a player that fans should keep a close eye on. He finished with 18 points, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes.
“Khalil had a good game today, he had an opportunity to get extended minutes, played well,” Howard said. “We’re looking for some other guys to step up and help on the offensive end. We need some other guys to step up in that department.”
History seemed to repeat itself from the Explorers’ woeful outing against Fordham. La Salle committed 19 turnovers and was run over by the VCU offense.
During timeouts, Howard could be overheard telling his players, “You guys aren’t communicating [while on defense]. … You’re not talking down there.” Howard also advised his players to “foul [VCU], get at them, don’t be afraid to get messy. ... Run at these guys. Drive. We’re not going out like that. … We’re better than that.”
Ray finished with eight points and seven rebounds for the Explorers, who slid to 5-7, 0-2 in the Atlantic 10. Gill had six points and seven assists.
Vince Williams finished with 16 and six rebounds for VCU.
