Dec. 17, 2008
La Salle vs. Rider
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Tom Gola Arena
Game: Non-Conference
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La Salle Explorers (4-4, 0-0)
Conference: Atlantic 10
The La Salle Explorers enter this game after falling to Big 5 rival Villanova at home on Sunday, 70-59. Despite a .500 record, two of the Explorers’ four losses have come at the hands of top 25 teams (No. 2 UConn and No. 15 Villanova) in addition to an early season home loss to ACC foe Florida State. Two Explorers, juniors Rodney Green and Kimmani Barrett, achieved double figures on Sunday tying a team-high 16 points. Green shot 6-for-12 from the field and also added six rebounds and a team-high three assists. Green has now either led or tied the team-high in points in five games and he is first on the team in both scoring (14.1) and total assists (25). Junior Vernon Goodridge and sophomore Jerrell Williams both tallied five points and eight boards respectively and junior Yves Mekongo Mbala followed up with eight points and four rebounds. Against Villanova, La Salle outrebounded the Wildcats (40-31), scored more points in the paint (28-20) and scored more second chance points (11-7). The Explorers are 2-2 at home this season.
Rider Broncs (5-2, 0-0)
Conference: MAAC
After playing three of their last four games at home, the Rider Broncs venture out on the road to take on La Salle as they look to win their third straight game. Even though the Broncs have started the season off strong, they were left with one huge vacancy heading into the 2008-09 campaign. Jason Thompson, the team’s leading scorer (20.4) and rebounder (12.1) from last season, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 12th overall pick in the June 2008 NBA Draft. In a 66-54 decision over Monmouth at home last Wednesday, junior Ryan Thompson and sophomore Patrick Mansell were two of four Broncs to reach double-digits, both ending with 12 points apiece. Senior Harris Mansell and freshman Novar Gadson both scored 10 points and combined for five assists. Thompson and Harris Mansell were both two rebounds shy of recording a double-double, finishing with eight boards respectively. Thompson leads the team in both scoring (16.3) and rebounds (8.0) and is also shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the charity stripe. The Broncs are holding a 2.9 scoring margin and a 1.4 rebounding margin over the opposition this season.
Eye on an Explorer: Paul Johnson
The only senior on the team, Paul Johnson is looking to make an impact for the Explorers in his final collegiate year. Against Florida State, Johnson scored seven points, on 2-of-3 shooting, and pulled down five boards. In the very next matchup, the forward scored six points and grabbed four rebounds against No. 2 UConn in La Salle’s first game of the Paradise Jam. In that weekend tournament, he tied a game-high with six rebounds against Southern Miss. Johnson is averaging 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game.
Key Matchup: Yves Mekongo Mbala vs. Ryan Thompson
Juniors Yves Mekongo Mbala and Ryan Thompson both prove to be formidable in their respective team’s frontcourt. Mekongo Mbala is first on the team in free throw percentage (.839), second in rebounds (6.1), third in scoring (10.9) and third in field goal percentage (.467). He scored 13 points against both Florida State and No. 2 UConn and pulled down a game-high 11 boards against the Seminoles for a double-double. He also added five rebounds and four assists against the Huskies. For Rider, Thompson has either led or tied the team-high in points and rebounds four games each. His two double-doubles came in wins over Lehigh (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Lafayette (25 points, 11 rebounds).
