Dec. 28, 2009
La Salle Explorers vs. Cornell Big Red
Date: Tuesday, December 29
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tom Gola Arena
Game: Non-conference
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La Salle Explorers (7-4)
Conference: Atlantic 10
The Explorers return home from the holiday break to take on the Cornell Big Red after falling to Oklahoma State in the All-College Basketball Classic last Monday. Tuesday's late afternoon affair will mark the end of 2009 action for both La Salle and defending Ivy League champ Cornell. La Salle is on the verge of having its winningest calendar year under Head Coach Dr. John Giannini. Currently the Explorers sit on 18 wins for 2009, which matches its 2008 total. If the Explorers should defeat the Big Red on Tuesday, they'll finish 19-12 for the year, which would be their best finish since 1992 when the program went 20-11 from Jan.1 through Dec. 31 of that year.
With just two games to go before A-10 play begins, the Explorers are looking to pick up a non-conference win that will be beneficial when it comes down to punching tickets to the big dance in March; a win against Cornell would give them just that.
La Salle has four losses on the season thus far. Of those four, two have come to teams in the nation's top four when the Explorers played them (#4 Villanova and #1 Kansas). The Explorers are the only team in the nation to play multiple teams that have been in the top three at one point this season. Defeats to 10-1 Oklahoma State and South Carolina out of the SEC have also been respectable losses for La Salle.
Free throw shooting has been an area of concern for the Explorers early on this year. However, over the last two games, La Salle has shown improvement as it has shot nearly 80 percent at the charity stripe in that span. La Salle will need to have this accuracy against Cornell, who commits just over 19 fouls a contest.
Rebounding has been the Explorers strong point this season and has been essential to their success. The Explorers have won the battle under the boards eight times this season, but in three of its four losses, their opponent has won the battle by an average of six boards.
Cornell Big Red (9-2)
Conference: Ivy League
Since dropping games to Seton Hall and Syracuse early on the slate, the Big Red have been nearly unbeatable. Cornell enters Tuesday's game against the Explorers on a seven game winning streak and an 8-1 record away from Ithaca, NY.
Ryan Wittman and Jeff Foote head the charge again this season for the Big Red. The two seniors were the top two scorers for Cornell last season and have already taken the role once again. Wittman is averaging 18.3 ppg while Foote has a standard of 14 points per contest. Foote has been all that and more for the Big Red this season. Along with a double figure scoring average, he's ripping down 9.5 boards a game, placing him atop of the Ivy League in that category.
Cornell has made a commitment to taking care of the little things over the course of a game. The Big Red are ranked 32nd in the nation for spreading the ball around, as they are averaging 16.5 assists per game. 182 of Cornell's 296 field goals this season have come by virtue of a teammate adding a helping hand to a conversion. Cornell has been dominant from the free throw line this year as well. The Big Red are shooting more than 10 percent higher than La Salle at the charity stripe, with a 76.6 free throw percentage, which is 13th-best in the land.
The Big Red are not afraid to take a three-pointer. Nearly 36 percent of Cornell's shooting has come from beyond the arc. Cornell's three-point shooting frequency is ranked 21st in the nation. Cornell has converted 42.3 percent of its treys, which has them ranked 10th in the country and just two places behind the Explorers (42.6%)
Last Time...
A season ago when La Salle and Cornell met, the Explorers held the advantage for the majority of the game. The 11 point lead they carried into the halftime locker room had the Explorers feeling confident about picking up a win in their final road non-conference game of the season. After amassing a 14 point lead to begin the second half, suddenly the wheels began to fall off for the Explorers. Cornell went on to grasp its first lead of the contest less than nine minutes into the second half. Down the stretch, the Explorers got into foul trouble as senior Yves Mekongo and junior Jerrell Williams each fouled out. Senior Kimmani Barrett picked up four fouls of his own to go along with the game's only double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds). Cornell reached a 12 point advantage in the final minute en route to a 79-70 defeat of the Explorers. La Salle had four players in double-figures on the day in which Cornell's comeback was led by Jeff Foote's 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and senior Ryan Wittman's 18 tallies, which came from a 3-for-7 shooting day from beyond the arc.
The all-time series is at a 2-2 deadlock. La Salle and Cornell have swapped victories from one meeting to the next. La Salle won the first meeting in 1969 before the Big Red evened the series in 1998 and before the Explorers won again in 2002. This will be the fourth time that La Salle has hosted the Big Red. Through the previous three, the Explorers hold a 2-1 record on their own hardwood.
Eye on an Explorer: Aaric Murray
Fresh off his third career double-double, freshman Aaric Murray will be relied on to put forth a strong effort under the glass on Tuesday. His 7.4 rpg has been a factor in the Explorers' commitment to rebound the basketball this season. Murray is still making the transition from high school basketball, but over the course of the season so far, Murray has shown signs of becoming a complete Division-I basketball player game in and game out. In his latest game, Murray went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc while ripping down 11 boards. The Explorers have dealt with a number of injuries already this season. Murray's presence in the lineup has kept this team from missing a beat.
Key Matchup: Yves Mekongo vs. Louis Dale
In his last two games, senior Yves Mekongo is showing that he is in midseason form as his shooting and production has improved and been more consistent. At Oklahoma State last Monday, Mekongo picked up 11 points in the loss. In three of his last four games, Mekongo has finished just short of claiming a double-double. This year, Mekongo is third on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and is averaging 10 ppg, which makes him one of four Explorers to have double figures for a scoring average.
Cornell senior Louis Dale plays in the Big Red's backcourt unlike Mekongo, but has been just as much of a contributor for his team. Dale is tied for second on the team in rebounding (3.1 rpg) and is just short of a double digit scoring average, at 9.7 ppg, which is third-best for the Big Red. While he may be overshadowed by seniors Ryan Wittman and Jeff Foote, the former Ivy League Player of the Year is making his contributions more quietly. Through 11 games, Dale has an Ivy League best 57 assists (5.2 apg), which is a factor in Cornell being ranked 32nd in the nation in that category.
