Jan. 2, 2009
La Salle vs Howard
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Tom Gola Arena
Game: Non-Conference
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La Salle Explorers (7-5, 0-0)
Conference: Atlantic 10
On Saturday afternoon, when the La Salle Explorers go head-to-head with the Howard Bison, they will complete non-conference play for the 2008-2009 season. This game will be the last tune-up for the Explorers before they face their first Atlantic 10 foe and city-rival, Temple, in another Big 5 matchup. The Explorers enter 2009 with their best record (7-5) since going into 2006 when they were 7-2. Heading into Saturday’s matchup, they will be riding a three-game winning streak at Tom Gola Arena after their most recent 89-64 victory over the Manhattan Jaspers on New Year’s Eve. Without having the familiar faces of senior Paul Johnson and sophomore Jerrell Williams on Wednesday, due to injuries, the Explorers managed to demonstrate their best effort on both sides of the ball this season. Against the Jaspers, five Explorers finished in double figures with three of them setting career-highs (junior Vernon Goodridge-15, junior Ruben Guillandeaux-22 and sophomore Terrell Williams-14). A large part of the production had to do with the Explorers shooting a season-best 60.7 percent for the game and nearly 70 percent in the first half. The Explorers were also threatening on the defensive side, as they compiled four blocks, a season-high ten steals and 15 forced turnovers. In Saturday’s game, the Explorers will look to maintain the recent solid output they have gotten on both sides of the ball. La Salle, who has faced Howard a total six times, leads the all-time series, 5-1.
Howard Bison (1-11, 0-1)
Conference: Mid-Eastern Atlantic
When the Howard Bison take on the La Salle Explorers on Saturday, they will look to start off the New Year with nothing more than a win. The Bison are coming off a strenuous week, in which they played three games in three days in the Duel in the Desert Tournament held in Utah. Though they went winless in the tournament, Howard will be looking to end the drought when they take what they learned from recent opponents, Utah State (12-1) and Wyoming (11-3), into Saturday’s matinee against the Explorers. In the seven wins that Howard has amassed since the start of last season, the Explorers are included on that list of victims. Last season, the Bison defeated the Explorers 69-63 at home to halt La Salle’s undefeated record in the all-time series. So far this season, only Philadelphia native senior Eugene Myatt and junior Paul Kirkpatrick have started every game for the Bison. In their latest game against Houston Baptist, Myatt and Kirkpatrick finished in double figures. Myatt leads the Bison with 12.8 points per game and has had team-highs in points four times this season. Kirkpatrick is shooting over 50 percent from the floor and has led the team in rebounds five times this season.
Eye on an Explorer: Rodney Green
Going into his 75th game as a La Salle Explorer on Saturday afternoon, junior Rodney Green will have the opportunity to be the 46th player in the program’s history to reach the 1,000-point plateau against the Howard Bison. To date, Green sits just 12 points shy of the milestone and is averaging 14.9 points this season and 13.4 points for his career. If Green can continue his remarkable pace, he can be sure to reach the landmark against the Bison.
Key Matchup: Vernon Goodridge vs Paul Kirkpatrick
Both teams have reliability under the glass in juniors Vernon Goodridge and Paul Kirkpatrick. So far this season, both individuals are among the leaders on their respective teams in rebounding. Not only do these two centers pull down a lot of boards, they also have the potential to put up points as well. In the most recent game for each individual, Goodridge and Kirkpatrick both recorded career-highs in points. Goodridge poured in 15 points in La Salle’s latest win over Manhattan, while Kirkpatrick is fresh off a 20-point performance in Howard's loss to Houston-Baptist.
