La Salle came into their tournament game against Ole Miss with a 6-1 record in games decided by 3 games or less. There is no telling whether teams can actually have the ‘clutch’ gene but Explorers fans are starting to believe. With the game tied at 74 in the closing seconds, Tyrone Garland banked home a lay-up to seal the Explorers’ trip to the Sweet 16 in a 76-74 La Salle victory. Courtesy of ESPN’s Ryan Feldman, not only are the Explorers on a tremendous run at present, but history is on their side as well.
La Salle has reached the regional semifinal twice before. They advanced to the National Championship both times (1954, 1955).
— Ryan Feldman (@TheRyanFeldman) March 25, 2013
Ramon Galloway became the second City 6 guard to catch fire in the first half today, as he shot 6-10 from the field, including 5-8 from three, for 19 points before halftime. Galloway’s efforts kept La Salle in the contest, as his teammates combined to shoot 0-6 from behind the arc in the first half. Galloway cooled off a bit in the second half, finishing with 24 points. Luckily for the Explorers, a couple of his teammates picked things up after halftime. Tyreek Duren ended the contest with 19 points on 6 for 11 shooting, while Tyrone Garland finished with 17 including the biggest 2 points of the game.
For Ole Miss, Marshall Henderson was his usual inefficient self, ending the game with 21 points on 8-21 shooting and 4-15 from three. He came into the game leading the NCAA in three-point attempts and it was easy to see why, as he jacked up shots given even a glimmer of daylight. Murphy was a force on the inside in his last collegiate game, scoring 14 points and collecting 12 rebounds, including 5 offensive boards. You have to wonder whether Ole Miss would have been better off as a team not relying so heavily on Henderson from the outside.
La Salle’s cinderella run continues against Wichita State in four days, who is coming off a big upset of their own over Gonzaga. Can La Salle be the next VCU to go from play-in game to Final Four? We’ll examine later in the week.
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