Duren Does It Again In 66-64 Win Over Northeastern

Tyreek Duren once again provided the late game heroics, hitting a short fadeway jumper with under two seconds to go to lift La Salle to an exciting 66-64 victory over Northeastern on Saturday night.  After going scoreless in the first half, Duren took charge late in the game when backcourt mate Ramon Galloway went to the bench with foul trouble.  All of his 12 points were scored in the second half, with the last 2 being the game winners.

Galloway was hot in the first half, scoring 19 points to help the Explorers erase a seven point deficit and go into halftime with a two point lead.  But the Huskies clamped down on him in the second half, so Duren and Jerrell Wright picked up the slack helping the Explorers gain a much needed win in order to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Galloway finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while Wright (13) and Duren (12) also scored in double figures.  D.J. Peterson was his usual efficient self, scoring 6 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and not committing a turnover in 30 minutes of action.

The Huskies had four players in double figures, led by Reggie Spencer's 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Explorers return to action next Saturday, traveling to Bucknell to take on the 8-1 Bison in what amounts to La Salle's biggest test of the young season.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/12/8/MBB_1208123958.aspx?path=mbball

http://gonu.com/news/2012/12/8/MBB_1208121406.aspx

Duren Leads La Salle Past Penn State 82-57

Hot perimeter shooting and tough defense allowed La Salle to break open a close game midway through the second half as the Explorers ran away from the Penn State Nittany Lions 82-57.  Tyreek Duren was outstanding, scoring 29 points on just 13 shots, as well as handing off 4 assists and playing smothering defense on Penn State's leading scorer D.J. Newbill.

With fifteen minutes remaining and La Salle holding onto a 47-43 lead, the Explorers went on a 21-3 run over the next eight minutes with Duren scoring 12 consecutive points during the run which ended with La Salle having an insurmountable 68-46 lead with just under eight minutes left.  The Explorers ended up shooting a blistering 16-31 from three point range and a solid 18-24 from the foul line while committing only 4 turnovers the entire game.  Also in double figures for the Explorers were Ramon Galloway and Sam Mills with 14 points each, while Steve Zack anchored the middle with 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots.  D.J. Peterson rediscovered his shot, adding 8 points and his usual solid defense and floor game. 

Penn State was led by Jermaine Marshall's 19 points while Ross Travis and Newbill scored 12 points each. 

La Salle returns to the court on Saturday night as they travel to Boston to face the Northeastern Huskies.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/12/5/MBB_1205122142.aspx?path=mbball

http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/120512aaa.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/la_salle/20121205_La_Salle_takes_down_Penn_State.html

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/12/durens-career-night-leads-la-salle-to-82-57-win/

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/12/tough-to-find-faults-in-la-salles-win-over-psu/

Fast Start Lifts Explorers Past Rider 63-52

Stifling defense and hot shooting by La Salle in the game's first nine minutes were too much for Rider to overcome as the Explorers held off the Broncs in the second half for a 63-52 win.

La Salle played possibly their best basketball of the season, jumping out to a 32-14 lead midway through the first half.  Rider had no answer for the Explorer's aggressive man to man defense while La Salle could not miss, making five of their first seven three pointers.  By the time the Broncs regrouped, the Explorers were sitting on an eighteen point cushion.  Rider then chipped away at the lead, outscoring La Salle 9-2 to end the half and putting them within striking distance.

Despite La Salle's offensive struggles in the second half, their defense was just good enough to keep Rider at bay.  With just under eight minutes to go, the Broncs narrowed the lead to six at 49-43, but the Explorers then went on a 7-1 run in the games next three minutes to give them a comfortable twelve point lead and from that point on, they made enough free throws to hang on for the eleven point victory.

Leading the way for La Salle was Tyreek Duren with 20 points (on 6-6 shooting from the floor), 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals and Ramon Galloway with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists.  Sam Mills added 8 points and 7 rebounds and Jerrell Wright chipped in with 6 points. 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks. 

Rider was led by 12 points each by Danny Stewart and Anthony Myles.  Leading scorer and former La Salle commit Nurideen Lindsey was held to 5 points.

La Salle's next contest will be 9:00pm Wednesday night against Penn State in a nationally-televised game on the NBC Sports Network.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/11/29/MBB_1129122530.aspx?path=mbball

http://www.gobroncs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=20200&ATCLID=205818295

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/la_salle/20121130_Explorers_avoid__Nova_hangover_in_win_at_Rider.html

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/11/hot-start-propels-la-salle-past-rider/

Explorers Sneak Through Back Door for 77-74 Win Over Villanova

Tyreek Duren's wide open layup off a back door feed from D.J. Peterson gave La Salle a late one point lead and the defense did the rest as the Explorers ended a ten game losing streak against Big Five rival Villanova with a 77-74 overtime win on Sunday afternoon.  

After taking an early lead, La Salle was forced to play from behind for most of the game.  Villanova extended their lead to eleven points early in the second half but the Explorers chipped away until they were able to finally tie the game at 49 with just over nine minutes left.  The game went back and forth until the Wildcats were able to take a three point lead when Ryan Arcidiacono connected on one of two foul shots with 25 seconds left.  The Explorers pushed the ball downcourt and with 7 seconds left, Duren was able to make a 25 foot jumper over the outstretched arm of Mouphtaou Yarou which sent the game into overtime.

Once again, Villanova took the lead early in overtime until La Salle was able to force a turnover by the Wildcats with just over a half minute to go and down by a 73-72 score.  That set up the game winning back door layup by Duren followed by two foul shots by Steve Zack which gave the Explorers the 77-74 win.

Ramon Galloway almost single-handedly kept La Salle in the game during the second half and finished with 26 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Duren took over the game late in regulation and during overtime and ended up with 23 points, 5 assists, two rebounds, and two steals.  Jerrell Wright (10) was also in double figures and Steve Zack pulled down a career high 14 rebounds.  Villanova was led by Mouphtaou Yarou's 20 points and 7 rebounds and JayVaughn Pinkston's 19 points and 7 rebounds.

The Explorers return to action on Thursday night at Rider.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/11/25/MBB_1125125439.aspx?path=mbball

http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/112512aac.html

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/11/duren-and-galloway-lead-la-salle-past-nova-in-ot/

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/la_salle/20121126_Duren_the_difference_as_La_Salle_finally_beats_Villanova.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/la_salle/20121125_Explorers_top_Wildcats_in_OT.html

http://delcotimes.com/articles/2012/11/25/sports/doc50b2f53a4dfbf302862496.txt

La Salle Stumbles Past Hartford 64-51

Despite 19 careless and mostly unforced turnovers, the La Salle Explorers were able to jump out to a 40-22 halftime lead and hold off the Hartford Hawks for a 64-51 win on Tuesday night.  After a miserable defensive effort in their previous outing against Central Connecticut State, the Explorers came out much more aggressive against an undermanned Hartford squad and were able to gain some separation with the 18 point halftime lead.

Luckily for the Explorers, Hartford also struggled on the offensive end in the second half and La Salle was able to keep a double digit lead the rest of the way en route to the 13 point victory.

The main bright spot for La Salle was the play of redshirt freshman forward Rohan Brown.  The Hartford native came home and made friends and family proud with an outstanding double-double effort, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.  Tyreek Duren (15), Jerrell Wright (14), and Ramon Galloway (13) also scored in double figures.  Mark Nwakamma led Hartford with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

The Explorers return to the court at 1:00pm this Sunday against Big 5 rival Villanova in a nationally-televised game on the CBS Sports Network.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/11/20/MBB_1120125221.aspx?path=mbball

http://www.hartfordhawks.com/news/2012/11/20/MBB_1120121014.aspx

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/11/la-salle-gets-bounce-back-win-at-hartford/

Defense Rests As Explorers Drop Verdict To CCSU

A porous defense along with a quick opponent was the wrong recipe as the La Salle Explorers were upset by the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils on Sunday afternoon.  The Blue Devils ran past the Explorers to the tune of 48 first half points and withheld a late charge by La Salle to pull out the win by scoring the game's last seven points after the Explorers had tied it at 74.

The loss was the last thing La Salle needed as it tries to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in two decades.  They will need to get through the rest of their out of conference schedule without any more letdowns against any of their low major opponents and will need to pull an upset or two along the way.

Kyle Vinales and Adonis Burbage led the Blue Devils with 23 and 21 points.  Burbage was almost perfect, going 7-8 from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line.  The Explorers had four players in double figures, led by Jerrell Wright's 18 points and 6 rebounds.

La Salle travels to Hartford to take on the Hawks on Tuesday night in a must-win game.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/11/18/MBB_1118125232.aspx?path=mbball

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/11/la-salle-falls-to-central-connecticut-state-81-74/

Stukes Makes It Official

Today Coach John Giannini announced that Class of 2013 6'2" point guard Amar Stukes from La Salle College High School signed his letter of intent to attend La Salle University.  Stukes averaged 13.4 points per game and was named first team Philadelphia All-Catholic league as a junior.  Amar picked La Salle over Drexel, Fairfield, and numerous other Division One schools.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/11/15/MBB_1115121807.aspx?path=mbball

http://www.lschs.org/page.cfm?p=148&newsid=1962

http://www.philahoops.com/amar-stukes-signs-letter-of-intent-to-lasalle-university/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hdannmZz9Y

Zack and Wright Lead La Salle Over Delaware 73-66

Steve Zack (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Jerrell Wright (14 points, 10 rebounds) dominated the inside allowing the La Salle Explorers to grind out a hard-fought victory over the Delaware Blue Hens 73-66. 

The Explorers jumped out to an early 21-5 lead only to see Delaware cut it to a six point halftime deficit.  The Blue Hens were able to take a brief 51-50 lead in the second half and the game was tied at 60 with four minutes to go.  At that point, Zack and the Explorers took over, going on a 9-4 run aided by two buckets and a blocked shot by Zack.  La Salle never relinquished the lead and hung on for the seven point win.  

Also scoring in double figures for the Explorers were Tyreek Duren (12) and Sam Mills (10).  Delaware was led by Jarvis Threatt (17) and Devon Saddler (14).  First team All-CAA power forward Jamelle Hagins was limited to 12 points by fine defensive efforts by Zack and Wright.  

The Explorers return to the court a week from tomorrow for a contest at Gola Arena against Central Connecticut State.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/11/10/MBB_1110121525.aspx?path=mbball  

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/11/steve-zack-leads-explorers-past-delaware/

Explorers edge Carleton 61-58

Down 53-44 with just under ten minutes to play, La Salle turned up the defensive pressure and scored just enough to slip past 2012 Canadian national champion Carleton University 61-58.

Ramon Galloway led the way with 28 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and an outstanding defensive effort on Philip Scrubb, holding the Raven's leading scorer to 12 points.  Also in double figures for the Explorers was Jerrell Wright with 12 points, while Steve Zack and D.J. Peterson combined for 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Tyson Hinz scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Carleton.

La Salle opens their regular season a week from tomorrow against the University of Delaware who was the preseason pick to finish second in the CAA.

http://www.goexplorers.com/news/2012/11/2/MBB_1102122754.aspx?path=mbball

http://cityofbasketballlove.com/2012/11/la-salle-hangs-on-in-exhibition-against-carleton/

Explorers Begin Their Quest For NCAA Berth

At 5:00pm on Friday October 12th, the 2012-13 La Salle Explorers held their first full practice, beginning the more than five month journey towards what will hopefully become their first NCAA appearance in over 20 years.  Once again, most of the preseason prognosticators are undervaluing the talented and deep Explorers, picking them to finish anywhere between seventh and tenth in a very strong Atlantic 10. 

Guards win in college basketball, and La Salle has arguably the most talented and deepest backcourt in the A10 and one of the best in the country.  In addition to returning starters Ramon Galloway, Tyreek Duren, and Sam Mills and a healthy D.J. Peterson, the Explorers will add former Bartram High star and Virginia Tech transfer Tyrone Garland once the first semester ends on December 14th.  Even more depth is provided by streak shooter Taylor Dunn and freshman walk-on O.J. Lewis who averaged double figures for D.C. area powerhouse Riverdale Baptist.  Also on the roster is 6'3" combo guard and Delaware transfer Khalid Lewis who has to sit out the 2012-13 season due to transfer rules.

In the frontcourt, La Salle returns 6'8" sophomore power forward Jerrell Wright who is expected to have a breakout season after making the A10 All-Rookie team as a freshman.  Preseason reviews of 6'11" sophomore center Steve Zack have been encouraging and there is a good chance he will take Earl Pettis' spot in the starting lineup as the Explorers will start out the season with a more traditional 3 guards, 2 bigs lineup.  Also expected to contribute on the frontline are 6'7" redshirt freshman combo forward Rohan Brown, 6'9" true freshman center Jermaine Davis, and 6'10" center and Penn transfer Garvin Hunt.  There will be no shortage of size and muscle on this year's roster to go along with the talented backcourt.

Coach Giannini will have lots of options in 2012-13.  He can go small and play four guards or he can go big with Brown on the wing along with three big men.  The Explorers will be a matchup nightmare for most teams.

The preseason fun continued with the Bill Raftery Open Practice and Reception on Friday October 19th and was followed by an open practice event held for the students earlier today.  

The Explorers finally get to go up against someone other than themselves this Saturday as the Princeton Tigers visit Gola Arena for a closed scrimmage.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/20654587/secret-scrimmage-list-shhhhhh-dont-tell-anyone

The following Friday, the general public will get their first look at the team as they face Canadian National Champions Carleton University.   The Ravens already have three games under their belt, defeating Buffalo and Northeastern along with a close four point loss to a strong UNLV team.  The Explorers will then open their regular season on November 10th in a special Homecoming appearance against Delaware who was picked to finish second in the CAA by the league's coaches.