Feb. 21, 2009
La Salle Explorers vs. Duquesne Dukes
Date: Sunday, February 22
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Tom Gola Arena
Game: Conference
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Sunday afternoon’s matchup between the Explorers and Dukes will incorporate the La Salle Hall of Athletes Induction Ceremony. Honorees (Patrick Waninger ’87, Marc Cianfrani ‘98, Rachel Ritz ’98, Amy Schneider '03) will be recognized at halftime while the induction ceremony will take place immediately following the game at Blue and Gold Commons (across the street from Tom Gola Arena).
La Salle Explorers: 14-11 (5-6, T-8th Place) R.P.I.: 110
Conference: Atlantic 10
After a frustrating 72-63 home loss to the Richmond Spiders on Wednesday night, the La Salle Explorers return to action on Sunday in a matinee at Tom Gola Arena against the Duquesne Dukes. Sunday’s matchup against the Dukes will be the finale of a three-game home swing for the Explorers before traveling five miles away from campus for their final Big 5 game of the season against the Temple Owls on Thursday. When the Explorers and Dukes tip-off on Sunday, La Salle will be looking to build on its 36-27 advantage in the all-time series. Last year, La Salle and Duquesne clashed three times, splitting a home-and-home series in which the road team won each contest before the Explorers took the edge in the season series in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championships. Despite the loss against Richmond, junior Rodney Green moved into 30th place on the Explorers all-time list of 1,000-point scorers with his 13 points against the Spiders, surpassing Chip Greenberg and tying Bernie Williams. As the season schedule winds down, the Explorers will look to get in a groove before the A-10 Championships draw near.
Duquesne Dukes: 15-9 (6-5, 7th Place) R.P.I.: 102
Conference: Atlantic 10
With a one-week layoff since their last game, the Duquesne Dukes will travel across the state of Pennsylvania to take on the La Salle Explorers which will complete play against Philadelphia-based opponents. The Dukes’ latest game resulted in a 78-73 home loss to the Temple Owls last Sunday. In the loss to the Owls, the Dukes had four scorers reach double figures as they continued their effective scoring. On the season, Duquesne is ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (78.8 ppg). The conference’s fourth leading scorer, senior Aaron Jackson (17.8 ppg), led the Dukes with game-highs of 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the loss to Temple last Sunday. In addition to the hot shooting by Duquesne, they also lead the conference in assists per game (16.71) and three-point field goals per game (8.38). The Dukes enter Sunday’s game winning four of their last seven on the road. In the series against the Explorers, the Dukes have won three of the last five meetings, including the last two games at Tom Gola Arena.
Eye on an Explorer: Jerrell Williams
In La Salle’s last two games, sophomore Jerrell Williams has been very profitable off the bench. The sophomore could not have picked a better time to emerge as an essential force. In La Salle’s last two contests, Saint Joseph’s and Richmond, Williams averaged 10.0 points per game. For the season, Williams is fifth on the team in scoring at 6.8 points per game.
Key Matchup: Vernon Goodridge vs. Damian Saunders
La Salle junior Vernon Goodridge has strung together three solid games in which he has gone 8-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the foul line, for an average of 7.3 points per game. In that time span, Goodridge has seen more playing time and has pulled down an average of 5.0 rebounds per game. For the season, Goodridge is posting averages of 6.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, while ranking fifth in the conference in blocked shots (1.71). Duquesne sophomore Damian Saunders, is coming off a 13-point performance against Temple last week. For the season, Saunders is averaging 13.6 points per game while leading his team with 7.9 rebounds per game, good enough for second in the conference. Through 24 games this season, Saunders has either led or tied the team-high in rebounds 17 times.
