By Sean Kennedy
Yesterday’s Action
La Salle 72, Rhode Island 62
It’s starting to feel like March 2013 again as La Salle looks to have re-gained its top form with their fourth-straight victory Wednesdat night against Rhode Island. Down 18-17 late in the first half, the Explorers went on a 15-2 run to build a lead they would never relinquish, as the Rams never pulled within closer than six from that point on. The two squads actually played fairly even across the board, with the lone exception being Rhode Island’s struggles at the foul line; the Rams sank just 11 of 21 from the charity stripe on the night, while La Salle went a respectable 19-26. In a close game, those the difference in those free points made all the difference.
La Salle received another balanced effort from its starters, with 4 players in double figures led by Tyreek Duren with 15 points. Both members of the frontcourt finished with double-doubles with Jerrell Wright going for 14 points and 10 rebounds and Steve Zack dropping 11 and 10. While it was Wright’s first double-double since November, Zack is making a habit of them as he’s among the nation’s leading rebounders at over 9 per game. The big man did have 4 turnovers as he continues to struggle with poor passes out of the high post against zone defenses, but that’s hopefully something that can get cleaned up. Remaining undefeated in A-10 play, the Explorers will take a brief hiatus when they take on former A-10 member and forever city rival Temple on Saturday.
Saint Joseph’s 84, Duquesne 75
In what ended up looking like a fairly close game, the Hawks dropped the Dukes in a game that was far from it. The two teams were polar opposite in the first half, as Duquesne struggled to make anything from the field for the second straight game, while St. Joe’s went scorched earth and lit everything on fire in their wake. The Hawks sunk 12 of their first 16 three-point attempts to lead by as many as 37 points in the first half, finishing with a season-best 17 made triples. Duquesne didn’t pack it in and fought back to make the score respectable against the St. Joe’s subs in the second half, but this outcome was never in question.
The Hawks were once again without Ronald Roberts, Jr. (back), but who needs him when Langston Galloway looks like he’s throwing stones in a lake with how big the basket looked to him. The senior hit his first 5 threes and had 24 points at the half, finishing the game with 26 as he sat out the majority of the second frame. Chris Wilson had arguably his best game of the season, draining 4 of 6 threes for 16 points and 8 assists in just 26 minutes. If the Hawks can come anywhere close to approximately this type of shooting when they also have Roberts back operating on the interior, there’s no team in the A-10 they can’t beat. But first, they’ll have some Philadelphia basketball action when they face Penn over the weekend.
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