By Sean Kennedy
Yesterday’s Action
Massachusetts 79, La Salle 67
The Minutemen of old went down in history for their ability to defend their homes against the British regulars hundreds of years ago. UMass is looking similarly unbeatable on their home turf this season, as they’ve still yet to lose after easily handling La Salle Wednesday night. Massachusetts went on a 10-0 run late in the first half to extend their lead to double digits, and the Explorers were never able to make it close the rest of the way.
The Explorers struggled to convert from the field, shooting just 40% on the night, as big man Raphiael Putney was a force in the paint with 5 blocks. Defensively, La Salle had no answer for Chaz Williams, who finished with 17 points on 8-13 shooting and 8 assists. Jerrell Wright had a solid outing scoring 16 points and 7 rebounds, but didn’t have much help from his teammates in the loss. Things will not get any easier for La Salle as they have another tough outing ahead of them this weekend at home against the first-place Billikens.
Saint Louis 65, Saint Joseph’s 49
Saint Louis entered play as one of the best defensive teams in the nation and they lived up to their reputation, holding the Hawks to just 32% shooting for an easy victory. St. Joe’s couldn’t get off any clean looks from the perimeter, as they finished the game just 1-15 from three, missing their final 12 attempts of the game as a Billikens hand was seemingly always in their face. Rob Loe provided sufficient offense for Saint Louis, with a team-high 17 points behind 3-5 shooting from behind the arc.
With the team finding no luck from the outside, Ronald Roberts, Jr. was the sole source of scoring for the Hawks, dropping a game-high 19 points, along with 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Langston Galloway continued his shooting slump, failing to make a three for the second straight outing after going 16 straight games with a successful triple. St. Joe’s will finish off their stretch of games against top-flight opponents when they take on VCU this weekend; the Hawks will need to rediscover their form from the perimeter to have a chance in that contest.
Today’s Action
8:00 PM: Temple (6-14, 1-7 AAC) @ SMU (17-5, 6-3 AAC) – ESPN News
The Owls finally got the AAC monkey off their back with a win over Rutgers, but then were smacked by down to earth by Villanova over the weekend. They’ll get to re-enter the conference sked when they travel down to Texas (thanks big-money conference realignment) to face an SMU squad led by a familiar face for Philadelphia fans. Coach Larry Brown has the Mustangs playing some great ball this year in his second season with the team. SMU is coming off an impressive double-digit victory last game against Memphis and the Mustangs are winners of 6 of their past 7 contests.
SMU is strong on both sides of the ball, but are uber-efficient on the offensive end, sitting top-15 nationally in FG% at 49.1%. An Illinois State transfer, guard Nic Moore, leads the team in scoring at 14 ppg, shooting an outstanding 46.5% from the three. The interior is patrolled by another name known in Philadelphia circles, Villanova transfer Markus Kennedy, who calls Philadelphia his hometown. He has stepped up for the Mustangs, especially with 6’11” center Yanick Moreira out with a knee injury, and averages over 12 points and 7 boards. However, unlike Temple, SMU relies on its depth with 9 players right now all playing double digit minutes and making major contributions on any given night. It’s a tall task for the Owls to make a long road trip and take down a squad playing discplined, efficient basketball.
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