Jan. 10, 2010

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, MA - Freshman Aaric Murray scored a career-high 18 points, while senior Rodney Green had 17 points and a career-high 12 assists as La Salle used a strong second half to beat Massachusetts, 80-74, on Sunday at the MassMutual Center. Senior Yves Mekongo matched a season-best with 17 points for the Explorers, which defeated the Minutemen for the third straight time.

"Any time you get a conference win, you have to be thrilled," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "We made some free throws and played good defense late in the game. I'm proud of our effort."

LU (8-7, 1-1 A-10) continued to play well on the road in conference games. Its 12-5 record since the beginning of the 2007-08 season is second in the league behind Xavier, which improved to 13-5 in A-10 road games with today's victory at GW.

Murray may have played his most complete game, shooting 8-for-16 from the floor and did not attempt a three-point shot. He also blocked four shots and altered several more.

Green made up for a sub-par shooting afternoon (3-for-9) by connecting on 10-for-12 from the line. His 12 assists were four more than his previous career high.

A seven-point halftime deficit was quickly erased when the Explorers went on a 13-2 run to open the second frame. Murray hit two quick baskets and Jerrell Willams (12 rebounds) hit a layup to cut the UM lead to one. Green hit a pair of foul shots and junior Steve Weingarten, who set career-highs with 10 points and eight rebounds, had a three and a lay-up to put the Explorers up four.

The lead grew to seven before Minutemen freshman Freddie Riley (career-high 22 points) connected on four straight three-pointers to make it 56-54 UMass with midway through the second half.

La Salle took the lead for good on Jerrell Williams' foul shot with five minutes left but the game was far from over, as UMass continued to keep things tight. The Explorers made their final ten foul shots to preserve the victory.

Ricky Harris had 17 points, while Terrell Vinson added 13 for the Minutemen (7-8, 1-1).

The Blue and Gold dominated the boards, outrebounding UM by 15. Three Explorers (Jerrell Williams, Murray and Weingarten) all had at least eight boards, while Sean Carter paced UMass with seven.

La Salle returns home to host George Washington on Wednesday at 7 PM. The game will be televised on The Comcast Network.