Duke makes Fran Dunphy wait a little longer to amass his 600th win in a rout of his Explorers
The loss also snapped the Explorers’ surprising win streak, dropping them to 4-1 overall. Next up, a rebound game against 0-6 Coppin State on Sunday at Tom Gola Arena.
A win would’ve given La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy his 600th in college basketball.
Unfortunately, his Explorers were about 30 points off the mark following a 95-66 loss to Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, as part of the Duke’s annual Blue Devil Challenge.
The loss also snapped the Explorers’ surprising win streak, dropping them to 4-1 overall — coincidentally, the same record as Duke.
A tale of two guards
For La Salle, Junior Khalil Brantley and senior Jhamir Brickus struggled to put points on the board in the first half, a half that snowballed after a 19-18 went awry for the Explorers at about the 10-minute mark.
Senior guard Anwar Gill was an offensive bright spot, leading the Explorers with 17 points, a season-high fueled by his continued attack of the basket.
Jahmir Brickus added 13 points and Kahlil Brantley finished with nine, but it was hard for the seemingly undersized duo of upperclassmen to contend with towering Duke defenders.
Duke sophomore Tyrese Proctor had an excellent offensive night with a season-high 22 points, including two threes and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He created space off the dribble that allowed him to hit a number of mid-range shots.
Of note
Duke sophomore center Kyle Filipowski was a matchup nightmare for La Salle sophomore forward Rokas Jocius. The 6-foot-10 Jocius had the height to bang with the 7-foot Filipowski that not many in college basketball possess.
But the difference in skill was on full display as Filipowski was able to use his athleticism around the rim to both reach around Jocius on offense and pluck high 50-50 balls off the board defense for his five rebounds. Quiet offensively in the first Filipowski finished with 17 points while Jocius scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Next up...
La Salle has a few days given the holiday week but heads home to prepare for a 0-6 Coppin State team on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN+). It’s an ideal rebound game for an Explorers team that would like to make Dunphy the latest coach in college basketball history to amass 600 wins.