After going over two decades without playing in an NCAA tournament game, La Salle was determined not to wait nearly as long for the next one. The Explorers defeated Boise State 80-71 to advance to Friday’s second-round game against Kansas State. As ESPN Stats & Info reported, it’s been a long time since La Salle experienced success at this level and Explorers fans reveled in the win like the team had won a title, not just a game to reach the field of 64.
On the 59th anniversary of its 1954 national title, La Salle gets its first NCAA Tournament win since 1990.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 21, 2013
The Explorers scored at will against a porous Boise State defense, finishing the game 63.3% from the field, including 11-21 from behind the arc. Tyrone Garland came off the bench to lead the way for the Explorers with 22 points on outstanding 9-11 shooting. Ramon Galloway and Sam Mills also totaled 36 points on a combined 8-12 three-point shooting. La Salle did an excellent job taking care of the ball, as they didn’t commit a single turnover until there were eight minutes left in the first quarter. By that point, the Explorers were already up 11 points; with the way they were shooting the ball, that lead was more than enough for them to cruise to an easy victory.
For Boise State, the Aussie Anthony Drmic did everything he could to keep the Broncos in the game. Drmic recorded a game-high 28 points, finishing 9-17 from the field and 5-10 from behind the arc. Unfortunately for Boise State, it’s difficult to chip away at a lead when you can’t get a defensive stop as La Salle never let the lead drop below 5 points in the second half. With the first round games now out of the way, the real field of 64 can get underway. The Explorers will look to keep their hot shooting going against a vastly superior Kansas State opponent.
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