With Corey McKeithan leading the way, La Salle is worthy of the Big 5 Classic main stage

La Salle missed 30 shots during the opening 20 minutes Saturday evening and led Temple at halftime by nine points. Thirty misses, and nearly a double-digit lead to show for it.

How does that happen? Extra possessions.

The Explorers pulled in 13 offensive rebounds in the first half and caused 10 Temple turnovers.

“They kicked our butt from start to finish,” Temple coach Adam Fisher said after La Salle’s 83-75 win over his Owls. “Their toughness was better than ours.”

It was more than toughness. The Explorers played team defense better than Temple. They cared for the basketball better than Temple. They were more efficient in transition than Temple. And, in an area that mattered most on this night, La Salle’s high-volume shooter, Corey McKeithan, was better than Temple’s, Jamal Mashburn Jr.

In a game that was ultimately decided by a few possessions, McKeithan’s career-high 28 points on 10-for-19 shooting — he also added four assists against zero turnovers and had three rebounds, a block, and two steals — was enough to give La Salle its sixth win in eight tries so far in 2024-25 and send the Explorers to next Saturday’s Big 5 Classic championship game vs. St. Joseph’s.

It was exactly the type of response Fran Dunphy was looking for after his team dropped two of three during a tournament last week in Daytona, Fla. In today’s transient world, with a lot of roster turnover year-over-year, you don’t know what the response will be until it happens. La Salle starts three transfers, gives consistent minutes to four, and another, point guard Eric Acker, will soon make his debut after missing the start of the season to injury.

This portion of the season is the figuring-out stage for Dunphy and many of his peers. Saturday was another sign that Dunphy and his staff found a gem in the transfer portal in McKeithan, who in three years at Rider had just 15 double-digit performances while playing mostly off the ball.

“It’s enlightening that, given the fact that he wasn’t necessarily a point guard, he does have a sense and a feel for the game,” Dunphy said. “I think he’s a born scorer, but I think he’s starting to feel the game in terms of you got to get it in his hands. The thing that sets him apart, I think, is his personality and his maturity.”

A born scorer who just needed a chance to score, apparently. McKeithan, who played 37 minutes, set a career-high last Saturday with 27 points in the team’s final game in Florida and then one-upped himself a week later. McKeithan credited his coaches and teammates with giving him confidence.

“The fact that he’s handling the ball as much as he is, is really a sign of somebody who has got his act together,” Dunphy said. “He knows where the ball is supposed to be, and a lot of times he knows the ball is supposed to be with him to try to make a shot.”

McKeithan, now up to 19 points per game, made his last bucket with 10 minutes left. Temple finally started clamping down on him as it made its second-half run. But McKeithan continued making the right plays. After Temple cut La Salle’s lead to six inside of four minutes to play, McKeithan hit Daeshon Shepherd with a pass that led to a layup to bump the lead back to eight.

The Explorers got positive contributions from just about everyone who played. Jahlil White had 11 points and 12 rebounds with two late free throws and a clutch steal. Demetrius Lilley had 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. Andrés Marrero didn’t have many open shooting lanes, so he pitched in with six assists and five rebounds. Reserve big man Mac Etienne was efficient with seven points and six rebounds in 12 minutes. Deuce Jones and Shepherd kept Mashburn in check.

It was a team win for a team that was picked last in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, as if the coaches in the conference and the media who cover it don’t know that Dunphy doesn’t finish last. At day’s end Saturday, La Salle was rated ninth among the 15 A-10 teams, according to KenPom metrics. There are a lot of games to be played. Similarly, La Salle was 6-2 after their overtime, buzzer-beating win over Penn at last year’s Big 5 Classic.

It was on that night last December that Dunphy remarked that he thought his team had its “arrival” moment, that no matter what happens throughout the season, La Salle was going to be OK.

Reminded of that, Dunphy was asked if this team had arrived yet.

“How did I do with that prediction?” Dunphy quipped. The Explorers of last year won eight of their first 10 and then went 8-15 the rest of the way.

It was coachspeak last year, he said. He won’t let it happen again.

“I hope we’re getting better,” Dunphy said. “We’re going to go to Northeastern on Tuesday. How are we going to handle that? How are we going to be? We’ve got lots of room to move. We’ve got a long way to go. So I won’t be predicting anything about anybody, including myself. We’re grateful for the win. It was a really nice win. A lot of people here. The gym is just great for making people feel good about coming here.”

The team playing inside the gym helps, too.