Who’s Playing
La Salle Explorers @ UC San Diego Tritons
Current Records: La Salle 4-0, UC San Diego 2-2
How To Watch
What to Know
UC San Diego has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the La Salle Explorers at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Ocean Center.
UC San Diego will head out to face La Salle after giving up their first home loss of the season on Saturday. UC San Diego took an 84-71 hit to the loss column at the hands of Seattle. The Tritons didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
UC San Diego struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, La Salle waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins… but they left with four. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 71-68 victory over the Dragons.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead La Salle to victory, but perhaps none more so than Demetrius Lilley, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Lilley continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played. Another player making a difference was Jahlil White, who went 7 for 9 en route to 19 points plus six rebounds and three blocks.
UC San Diego’s defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for La Salle, their win ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: UC San Diego hasn’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 8.8 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like La Salle struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging only 10.2. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.