CINCINNATI, OH – The La Salle men’s basketball team (15-7, 7-4 Atlantic 10) guaranteed a winning season with a 79-70 win over conference rival Xavier (14-7, 5-5) at the Cintas Center. The Explorers fended off a late Musketeer comeback attempt to lock down their fifth win in a row and first winning season since the 1992-93 campaign.

La Salle saw three players reach double figures in scoring, led by a game-high 23 points from All-America candidate Steven Smith (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast). The senior also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.

The game was closely-contested for the entire first half, with a five-point La Salle advantage serving as the largest lead for either team. After the two teams traded baskets for most of the half, the Explorers took a 40-36 lead into the locker room at the break.

After a Dedrick Finn three-pointer at the very beginning of the second half cut the La Salle lead to one point, Xavier did not make a field goal for the next nine minutes. By that point, the Explorers had rattled off an 18-8 run and led by as many as 15 points after a Darnell Harris (Baltimore, MD/St. Francis) three-pointer. The sophomore finished with 18 points and five rebounds and connected on a trifecta of three-pointers. Teammate senior Jermaine Thomas (Frederick, MD/Thomas Johnson) also netted 18 points on three treys, adding eight rebounds and six assists.

The La Salle double-digit lead would not hold, as Xavier used a four-minute 12-3 run to cut the lead to two points after Stanley Burrell found Justin Cage in the lane for a layup. That would be as close as the Musketeers would get as the two teams battled back and forth before a Marshall Taylor (Philadelphia, PA/West Catholic) left-handed layup gave the Explorers a six point lead.

Xavier would get within five points with under a minute to play, but the Musketeers were forced to foul and La Salle made good on its free-throw attempts to seal the victory.

La Salle won the battle of the boards, 45-30, and grabbed a season-high 18 offensive rebounds. Junior Mike St. John (Northboro, MA/River School) contributed nine rebounds. The Explorers shot 43 percent from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc. Xavier connected on 38 percent of its shots, making only 24 percent of its attempts from three-point land.

The Explorers will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 15, when they host St. Bonaventure at 7:05 p.m.