Nov. 28, 2007
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Sophomore Rodney Green (Philadelphia, PA) and senior Darnell Harris (Baltimore, MD) each scored 12 points to lead the La Salle University Men's Basketball team over a pesky Central Connecticut State squad, 59-55, on Wednesday evening at Tom Gola Arena. Freshman Jerrell Williams (Paterson, NJ) recorded his first career double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 boards, as the Explorers improved to 3-2 on the year.
Freshman Kyle Griffin (Allentown, PA) scored four points in the final minute, including two pressure-packed free throws with 14 seconds to play, to seal the victory for La Salle.
La Salle jumped out to an early double-digit lead, with Green leading the charge, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the opening frame. Sherman Diaz (Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago) drained a three-pointer at the 13:08 mark in the first half to give the home team its largest lead at 20-7. They would then go scoreless over the next five and a half minutes, as the Blue Devils went on a 10-0 run to cut their deficit to just three points.
Green's jumper in the lane broke the scoring drought and sparked a La Salle run, as the Explorers reeled off seven straight points to regain a double-digit advantage. CCSU would close the half by outscoring the blue and gold 9-2, as a once comfortable lead for La Salle was again down to three.
The Blue Devils picked up where they left off in the first half, scoring the first five points of the second half to take their first lead of the game at 31-29. The two teams exchanged leads over the next six minutes, as neither team could hold an advantage for long.
With CCSU up 38-36, sophomore Kimmani Barrett (Paterson, NJ) grabbed his own miss and was fouled on the put-back. The ensuing free throw gave the Explorers the lead for good, although the Blue Devils made it interesting down the stretch.
Harris knocked down a three-pointer with less than five minutes to play to make the score 52-47. It was the first time since the end of the first half that La Salle's lead was more than four points. They took their largest lead of the second half at six points, when Green, who had been shutout through the first 18 minutes of the second half, followed up a miss by Griffin to make it 55-49.
CCSU held strong, as they cut the lead to two with 20 seconds left, but Griffin iced the win when he drew nothing but net on his two foul shots.
With the win, La Salle won back-to-back games for the first time since last December, when they knocked off the CCSU and Morgan State.
Ken Horton (Ossining, NY) scored a game-high 19 points, while Tristan Blackwood (Toronto, Ontario) added 18 for CCSU (1-5).
The Explorers will now hit the road for seven straight games, starting with a contest at Bucknell on Monday night. Tip off is at 7pm in Lewisburg, PA.
