La Salle reached the 20 win mark for the first time in two decades and sent a Senior Day crowd home happy with an impressive 71-61 victory over St. Bonaventure. Seniors Earl Pettis and Matt Sheehan were honored before the game and crowd favorite Sheehan was awarded his first start in an Explorer uniform. La Salle came out aggressive early, holding Bonnies star Andrew Nicholson to only four first half points, which allowed the Explorers to go into the break with a comfortable 38-26 lead.
But Nicholson came out hot in the second half and helped St. Bonaventure narrow the deficit to two points with just under ten minutes to play. The Explorers then went on a 9-1 run of their own to put them back up by ten with just over five minutes left and they cruised home the rest of the way behind the hot hand of Tyreek Duren and an outstanding overall team defensive effort. In particular, Ramon Galloway's ability to shut down the Bonnies point guards and the low post defensive efforts of Jerrell Wright, Devon White, and Steve Zack on the ultra-talented Nicholson were the difference in the game.
Duren led the Explorers with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists while Pettis (16), Wright (10), and White (10) also scored in double figures. Nicholson led St. Bonaventure with 19 points and 8 rebounds while Demetrius Conger added 18 points and 9 rebounds.
La Salle finishes the regular season with a 20-11 record overall and a 9-7 A10 record which allowed them to tie for fifth place. With the loss, St. Bonaventure finishes the regular season with a 17-11 record overall and a 10-6 A10 record which allowed them to finish in a tie for third place. With the tiebreakers, La Salle will be seeded seventh in the A10 tournament and will face tenth-seeded Richmond at Gola Arena on Tuesday night. St. Bonaventure was awarded the fourth seed and will get a first-round bye and proceed direct to Atlantic City for a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday afternoon.
1 comment:
Good for La Salle! The OKC Thunder is another good team that everyone loves! Check out our blog! Thunder Up!
Post a Comment