Dec. 2, 2008
La Salle vs. Bucknell
Location: Tom Gola Arena
Time: 7:00 PM
Game: Non-Conference
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La Salle Explorers (2-3, 0-0)
Conference: Atlantic 10
The La Salle Explorers return to their homecourt on Tuesday after taking part in the Paradise Jam, an eight-team tournament, in the latter part of November. The Paradise Jam, which was held in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, saw the Explorers compete with the second-ranked team in the nation while taking two other teams to overtime. After coming off a four-point loss to ACC foe Florida State on Nov. 18, the Explorers had to quickly regroup before taking on #2 Connecticut on the tournament's first day of action. Despite shooting 50 percent from the field and forcing UConn to commit 12 turnovers on the evening, the Huskies, led by freshman Kemba Walker's 23 points, eventually came up with the narrow victory, 89-81. In the loss, junior Rodney Green led all scorers with 25 points, on 11-of-21 shooting, and fellow juniors Yves Mekongo Mbala and Ruben Guillandeaux both added 13 points apiece. Green followed up Friday's display with a 22-point performance on Saturday to lead all Explorers in an overtime loss to Southern Mississippi, 76-72. On the tournament's final day, the Explorers picked up their first victory of the weekend as they defeated Valparaiso in their second overtime game in three days, 75-70. Sophomore Jerrell Williams led three Explorers in double figures with 19 points, on 5-of-10 shooting. Mekongo Mbala chipped in with his second double-digit scoring performance in three games with 17 points and junior Kimmani Barrett finished with 16 points. La Salle shot 75 percent from the field in the overtime period against Valparaiso which included two three-pointers.
Eye on an Explorer: Jerrell Williams
In five games this season, sophomore Jerrell Williams has scored in double figures three times, which included a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) in a home win over Morgan State, 64-61, in the season-opener. In the overtime victory against Valparaiso in the Paradise Jam, Williams scored a team-high 19 points to go with four rebounds. The 2007-08 A-10 All-Rookie Selection is third on the team in both scoring (11.0) and rebounds (5.2), second in steals (1.4) and fourth in free throw percentage (71.4).
Bucknell Bison (1-4, 0-0)
Conference: Patriot League
The Bucknell Bison head into Tuesday night's matchup after falling to Wagner at home on Saturday, 83-79. Bucknell has now lost four of their first five games which included three straight to kick off the season. On Saturday, the only two participants to score more than 20 points came from Bucknell's side as junior Patrick Behan scored a game-high 27 points and sophomore G.W. Boon followed up with 24 points. The Bison had a decent shooting day from the field (42.4), but all seven of their three-point shots in the first half misfired. They regained their composure in the second half and went 9-for-15 from beyond the arc to end the evening at 40.9 percent from three. Their leading scorer on the season, senior Justin Castleberry (13.8 ppg), only managed four points, on 1-of-5 shooting, but did collect a game-high five steals in the loss. Sophomore Darryl Shazier was the final Bucknell player to finish in double-digits ending with 14 points while dishing out a team-high six assists.
Key Matchup: Vernon Goodridge vs. Patrick Behan
After sitting out the entire 2007-08 season due to Division I transfer rules, junior Vernon Goodridge is now eligible and ready to compete for the Explorers. In his last two contests, against Southern Mississippi and Valparaiso, Goodridge tied the team-high in rebounds with six apiece in each game. On the season, Goodridge, who stands as the tallest Explorer at 6-9, is shooting 51.9 percent from the floor (second on the team), while averaging 6.4 points (sixth), 6.2 rebounds (second), 2.8 offensive rebounds (first) and 2.0 blocks (first). Junior Patrick Behan, who poured in 27 points in Saturday's loss to Wagner, is Bucknell's second leading scorer at 13.2 points per game. The 6-8 forward is tied for second on the team in rebounds at 5.6 per game and he is shooting 45.2 percent from the field.
