March 5, 2010
La Salle Explorers @ Saint Joseph’s Hawks
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Hagan Arena
Game: Atlantic 10 Conference
TV: Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
Radio: WHAT 1340 AM
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La Salle Explorers (12-17, 4-11, Big 5: 1-2) / Conference: Atlantic 10
In the final game of the regular season, the Explorers will be faced with their most pivotal game. In addition to the annual hype that surrounds the game against their biggest rival, postseason implications are on the line for both teams. With the standings the way they are at the moment, there is currently a three-way tie for the 12th and final spot for the Atlantic 10 Championship between La Salle, St. Joe’s and Massachusetts. For the Explorers to clinch an appearance in next week’s conference tournament, they either need to defeat the Hawks on Saturday or UMass must lose to Rhode Island.
The Explorers are coming off a senior night win in which they defeated UMass back on Wednesday. With the victory, the Explorers halted an eight-game losing streak and scored a season-best 89 points. Senior Rodney Green gave La Salle University one last impression of how much of an asset he’s been to the Explorers over the last four years. For the third time in his career and second time against UMass, Green scored 30 points. After that performance, Green is now only 24 points shy of passing Kareem Townes for eighth place on La Salle’s all-time scoring list.
With three senior players sidelined for much of the year, junior Jerrell Williams has recently stepped up and become a factor on both sides of the ball for the Explorers. Williams is in the midst of playing his best basketball of his La Salle career. In the last four games, Williams is averaging a double-double with 14.2 ppg and 10.7 rpg during that span.
If the Explorers are fortunate to clinch a postseason berth and if seniors Kimmani Barrett or Yves Mekongo are able to make a return in the postseason, the Explorers would welcome back a lot of depth to its roster, which could make them a sleeper team in the A-10 Championship next week.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks (10-19, 4-11, Big 5: 1-2) / Conference: Atlantic 10
The Saint Joseph’s Hawks will have everything on the line. Not only does the game determine if it earns the final berth to the A-10 Championship, but the game is also being celebrated as “Homecoming” and “Senior Day” as well.
In their last outing, the Hawks recovered from a five-game slide as they defeated the George Washington Colonials at the Smith Center in Washington D.C. Saint Joseph’s was led by senior Darrin Govens who contributed 19 points, shooting 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Hot shooting junior Idris Hillard also posted double digits as he tallied 17 points and 5 boards.
The Hawks currently sit in a three-way tie for 12th place in the A-10 standings. A win for them and a UMass win would mean a postseason berth. The last game of the season is set to be the biggest yet for the Hawks.
The Series
The Saint Joseph’s – La Salle series runs deep as the Hawks have won 61 of the 112 historic contests. The two teams first met in 1901 and the rivalry has been tense ever since.
