Isaiah Deas scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and grabbed eight rebounds and Tony Washington had 11 of his 14 points in the second half to help La Salle hold on for a 75-67 win over Fordham on Wednesday night.
Washington was 6-of-7 shooting and also had eight boards. Saul Phiri scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and Pookie Powell finished with 12 points and six assists for La Salle (8-11, 2-4 Atlantic 10). The Explorers snapped a four-game skid overall and won its third straight in the series.
Will Tavares scored 12 points in a 16-1 run that pulled Fordham (6-12, 1-5 Atlantic 10) within five points after he made back-to-back layups with nearly eight minutes to play. La Salle went more than four minutes without a field goal until Powell hit a 3 and B.J. Johnson's dunk pushed the lead to 68-57 with five minutes left. The Rams trailed by at least eight points the rest of the way.
Tavares scored 18 points to lead Fordham. Prokop Slanina added 12 with a career-best five steals and Joseph Chartouny had 11 points and a season-high nine assists.
Deas hit a 3 to cap a 19-3 run that gave La Salle a 36-22 lead late in the first half and Phiri's tip-in putback gave the Explorers a 21-point lead with 15 minutes to go.