Thomas carries Sacred Heart over La Salle 86-81 in OT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyler Thomas had 24 points and 11 rebounds as Sacred Heart narrowly defeated La Salle 86-81 in overtime in a season opener for both teams on Tuesday night.

Alex Watson had 16 points for Sacred Heart. Joey Reilly added 13 points. Bryce Johnson had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Josh Nickelberry scored a career-high 22 points and had seven rebounds for the Explorers. Sherif Kenney added 18 points. Jack Clark had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Kenney sank a pair of free throws to give La Salle a 69-67 lead to open overtime, but Sacred Heart's Reilly drained a 3-pointer. The Pioneers edged away, taking the lead for good with 2:24 left in OT on a Thomas layup, 76-75, and finishing four-for-four at the free-throw line in the last 16 seconds.

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