Feb. 18, 2008
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
PHILADELPHIA, PA- Senior Darnell Harris (Baltimore, MD/ St. Frances Academy) had a team-high 21 points as the La Salle Explorers (11-13, 5-5 A-10) hit 55% of their three-pointers to win 90-89 over the Saint Joseph University Hawks (16-8, 7-4 A-10).
Harris became La Salle's all-time leading three-point scorer going 5-10 to total 311 career treys.
The Explorers started off by matching a 6-0 SJU run with an identical run of their own as Harris netted his first three of the night and sophomore Yves Mekongo Mbala (Elizabeth, NJ/ St. Patrick's) followed up with a trey to trail 11-8. Mekongo Mbala had 17 total points.
The Explorers turned the ball over twice in their first three possessions and had 12 total turnovers.
Harris continued to be hot from beyond the arc as he got his second three at the 15:00 mark, but the Hawks scored nine unanswered points to lead 24-13.
A hard lay-up by junior Paul Johnson (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga) with less than 10 minutes started an Explorer rally that cut the SJU lead to 32-28.
A Mekongo Mbala three made it a one-point game and sophomore Ruben Guillandeaux (Brooklyn, NY/ St. Patrick's) hit a huge three on the next possession to tie it at 34-34.
Guillandeaux, who recently had stitches removed from his left wrist was not expected to see action,gave La Salle their first lead of the game 37-36 at 5:00. He was aperfect (4-4) from the three-point line and would finish with 16 points.
The Explorers shot 16 total threes, just short of the La Salle team three-point record in a game (17).
Sophomore Kimmani Barrett (Paterson, NJ/ Paterson Catholic) made a three to tie it at 43-43, and a Mekongo Mbala lay-up put La Salle up 45-43. SJU's Pat Calathes hit a three to keep the Hawks ahead, he finished tied for the game-high 26 points. The Hawks closed out the first half with a 7-3 run up 50-46.
Mekongo Mbala gave the Explorers their first lead of the second half 59-57 with his fourth three of the contest.
SJU tied it up 64-64 with two-made free throws by Ahmad Nivins at 13:30. Harris kept the Explorers up 69-66 with another trey to give La Salle their largest lead of the night.
The Hawks scored two consecutive three's to reclaim the lead 74-69. A costly shot clock violation at the 7:20 mark wasted an Explorer possession and SJU extended their lead to six (81-75). A Johnson three would cut the lead and sophomore Rodney Green (Philadelphia, PA/Prep Charter) responded with a lay-up to tie it at 81-81.
Barrett scored to give the Explorers an 83-81 advantage with under four minutes to play. Green aced two shots at the charity stripe to give the Explorers an 85-83 lead.
Mekongo Mbala went 1-2 at the free throw line to put the Explorers up with under two minutes. SJU's Nivins converted a three-point play to tie it 86-86.
A Green dunk with less than one minute put the Explorers up 88-86, and a lay-up by Barrett gave the Explorers a 90-87 advantage with just 17.6 seconds. The Hawks drove to the basket for a score, but the Explorers fans began to celebrate as La Salle held on for a 90-89 win- their first victory over the SJU Hawks in seven years.
The Explorers will face three more A-10 teams in the month of February- starting with the University of Dayton Flyers on Thursday, February 21st at Tom Gola Arena at 7:00 PM.
