PHILDELPHIA – La Salle withstood a furious second half rally from Delaware but hung on Saturday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena, producing a hard fought 73-66 victory in front of a sold-out Homecoming crowd. The sophomore front court tandem of Steve Zack (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Jerrell Wright (14 points, 10 rebounds) came up large despite being asked to contain 2011-12 All-CAA big man Jamelle Hagins (12 points, 14 rebounds).
“Coach G challenged me earlier in the week,” Zack said. “He [Hagins] is one of the top five rebounders in the country and I feel like I really stepped up today.”
Junior Tyreek Duren, used to experiencing perimeter-oriented success, sang praises for his Zack and Wright, who proved the Explorers are not a one–trick pony.
“Zack and Jerrell came out and showed that this is their year, showed people that they’re ready to play and that it is not just our guards,” Duren said. “We have a compete team.”
La Salle (1-0) came out hot in the first half, opening up with a 21-6 lead behind five different Explorer scorers. However, the Blue Hens began chipping away, ending the half on a 26-17 run behind four buckets from sophomore Jarvis Threatt. Despite the Blue Hen charge, the Explorers led 38-32 at intermission, paced by 10 points from Duren.
Delaware began the second half much like La Salle began the first, taking a 51-50 lead at the 10:50 mark. Devon Saddler poured in 10 consecutive Blue Hen points to combat the Explorers possession for possession until the 4:00 mark with the game tied 60-60.
Then Zack took over.
A sophomore battling one of the best big men in the country, Zack put the Blue and Gold on his broad shoulders in the game’s final minutes. He dropped two big buckets down the stretch and two enormous free throws to unfeather the visitors at the :29 mark, giving La Salle a 69-64 lead, one they would never cough up.
The Explorers responded on the boards in a big way in the second half, outrebounding the Blue Hens 23-18 in the period, ousting Delaware’s intensity on the glass when it mattered most.
La Salle was exceptional from the charity stripe, draining 23-25 (92 percent) from the line including a 14-15 (93 percent) clip in the second half. The Blue and Gold protected the basketball as well, only notching seven turnovers on the afternoon while forcing 10.
For the game, the Explorers shot 37 percent (23-63) from the field including a 10-30 (33 percent) line from behind the arc. Conversely, the Blue Hens stroked it at 45 percent (28-62) but hit only one three- point bucket on eight attempts in the contest.
Duren (12 pts; 8-8 FT) and Sam Mills (10 pts; 4-12 FG) chipped in with double-digit scoring performances. Ramon Galloway was quiet in the scoring column (7 pts; 1-6 FG, 4-4 FT) but churned out a game-high four assists despite only playing 19 minutes due to foul trouble.
Head coach Dr. John Giannini was pleased with his team’s performance but believes there is still much room for improvement.
“Seven turnovers for a game is terrific,” Giannini said. “Our big guys did a good job in battling Hagins and battling a big strong team with an elite rebounder. Obviously, the free throw shooting was really significant.
“But we can get better.”
Despite an afternoon dominated by his big men, Giannini believes his perimeter play will pace his team this season.
“The strength of our team will continue to be our guards. Sam and Tyreek are going to get better.
“I think we’re going to get better.”
The Explorers will have a full week to get better before they get back on the hardwood next Sunday, November 18 when they play host to Central Connecticut State at 2 PM.
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