A late La Salle comeback wasn’t enough to push past Fordham in 66-64 loss
A second-half surge wasn't enough as the Explorers snapped a two-game conference win streak.
La Salle dropped a narrow contest in the closing seconds against Fordham, 66-64, in an Atlantic 10 matchup at Tom Gola Arena on Saturday.
Antrell Charlton buried the game-winning jump shot with two seconds remaining as the Explorers (8-9, 2-2 A-10) failed to secure their third straight conference win.
Slow start
La Salle found itself in a hole early, falling behind, 38-30, at halftime. The first-half gap stretched as far as 12 points and marked the second straight game La Salle trailed an opponent at halftime.
“[Fordham has] a veteran group, and they play like it,” said La Salle coach Fran Dunphy. “They’re poised and they made some really good plays.”
In the first half, the Explorers shot just 25% from three, while the Rams (14-4, 2-3) were 60% from behind the arc. Rams freshman guard Will Richardson (19 points) had a career day, scoring 17 in the first half.
“The second half was much better than the first,” Dunphy said. “The kid Richardson was great. We obviously did a better job on him in the second half.”
Khalil Brantley hit a step-back three-pointer with just over six minutes left in the second half to regain the lead for the Explorers. The shot was the highlight of a team-high 19 points for the sophomore guard.
“With KB, he goes 1,000 miles an hour, that’s how he plays,” Dunphy said. “He’s a good guy and a great competitor and he wants to win as much as he can.”
While the Explorers mounted a comeback and retook the lead with just over six minutes left in the game, playing from behind is becoming a habit.
Second-half heroics fall short
The Rams kept junior guard Jhamir Brickus (12 points) off the scoresheet early, with only two points in the first half from a pair of free throws.
Brickus had a career-high 25 points on Wednesday, which was the difference-maker in La Salle’s win over UMass. On Wednesday, 22 of Brickus’ 25 points came in the second half — and against Fordham, it was the same story. After a slow start, Brickus , poured in 10 points in the second half.
The game was tied in the final minute, but Charlton’s jumper with two seconds left secured the win.
“Obviously the game doesn’t come down to a last-second shot. There were other things we could have done better before that,” Dunphy said. “Make one better decision throughout the game, whether it’s a defensive or ball-handling decision. In my case, a better [strategic] decision.”
Up next
The Explorers will look to rebound on Monday when they host St. Joseph’s (2 p.m., ESPN+)