PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle University Men's Basketball team played a scrappy brand of basketball but struggled to establish any rhythm and was defeated, 59-50, by James Madison in their season opener at Tom Gola Arena.

The loss spoiled the debut of Head Coach John Giannini, who was looking to notch his first victory as coach of the Explorers (0-1). Junior Steven Smith (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) led La Salle with 17 points and eight rebounds, including several aerial put-backs and floaters in the lane.

But the Explorers had no answer for red-hot Ray Barbosa, who led the Dukes (1-0) with 18 points, including two three-pointers. Barbosa, a sophomore guard, connected on 8-of-19 field goal attempts and pulled down seven rebounds.

La Salle was sluggish at the outset and fell into an early hole. But thanks to a spark from freshman Darnell Harris (Baltimore, MD/St. Francis), who hit a pair of threes, they climbed back in the game and trailed by only two, 28-26, at the half.

Harris cooled off in the second half and finished with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

Another Freshman guard, Tabby Cunningham (Philadelphia, PA/St. John Neuman), dished out six assists in his first collegiate game at point guard. The St. John Neuman product had five turnovers, but came back with five steals.

The Explorers trailed by only two, 47-45, with five minutes remaining, but never got any closer. They were plagued by a series of turnovers down the stretch that allowed the Dukes to extend their lead and escape Philadelphia with their first-ever win over La Salle.

The Explorers will return to action on Wednesday, November 24th, when they travel to Hofstra to take on the Pride. The game is slated for a 7:30 P.M. tip-off.