PHILADELPHIA – Coming off an exciting overtime win over Big 5 rival Villanova, the La Salle men's basketball team will travel to Rider on Thursday to take on the Broncs in a non-conference matchup.
La Salle Explorers (3-1) vs. Rider Broncs (4-3)
Thursday, November 29, 2012 | 7 PM | Alumni Gymnasium
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Game Notes
La Salle | Rider
Last Time Out
The Explorers defeated Villanova 77-74 in an overtime classic at Tom Gola Arena in the season's first Big 5 contest.
Tyreek Duren notched 23 points, 19 coming in the second half and overtime to propel the Blue and Gold to an emotional victory over their cross-town rivals.
Ramon Galloway tallied a game-high 26 points while
Steve Zack posted a career-high 14 rebounds in 42 minutes of action.
All-Time Series
La Salle owns a 24-7 advantage over Rider historically, dating back to 1933. The Explorers have squared up against the Broncs in each of the last four seasons, winning three. Last season, the Blue and Gold defeated Rider 82-70 at the Palestra.
Coach's Corner
Head Coach
Dr. John Giannini on...
What to expect from Rider:
I think they're very good. Nurideen Lindsey is a proven point guard. There two other guards have size, shooting, and playmaking ability and they have athletes inside. They have beaten very good mid-major programs. We've seen it across the country that the difference between the top teams in these different conferences is minimal. Everyone has good players and Rider has very good players.
La Salle's defense:
We're definitely a pressure team. We have other things to go to in our package in case our pressure is not successful but that's always our first option.
The Explorer's guard play:
Our guards strength is as a group and we need them to play well as a group. Tyreek made some big plays the last game but we need our guards to be the best players on the court and our expectations for them all are very high.
Scouting the Explorers
Duren, the Big 5 Player of the Week, has led the Explorers to consecutive wins over Hartford and Villanova, tallying 38 points and seven assists in 74 minutes in the two victories. The junior guard leads La Salle this season in scoring (15.5 ppg), free throw percentage (.828), and is tied for the team lead in assists (3.0 apg). Galloway is averaging 15.0 ppg while notching a team-best 11 three-point makes and has dished out 3.0 assists per contest.
Steve Zack and
Jerrell Wright have controlled the glass for the Explorers, averaging 7.5 and 7.0 rebounds per game, respectively.
In last year's clash with Rider, La Salle shot 46 percent (10-22) from behind the arc, led by a 4-10 clip from Galloway who pulled down a game-high eight rebounds as well. The Explorers forced 15 Broncs turnovers and coughed up only nine of their own that evening.
Scouting the Broncs
Rider has won its last two, knocking off UW-Milwaukee and Jacksonville last weekend in the Hoops for Hope Classic in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Broncs came home tournament champions and junior guard Anthony Myles was named to the all-tournament team. Myles is the Bronc's second-leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points/game.
St. John's transfer Nurideen Lindsey has paced Rider offensively this season at 15.6 points/game while shooting a 53 percent clip from the field. As a team, the Broncs have posted a .448 field goal percentage and a .375 three-point mark, while holding opponents to a .407 clip from the field and .286 from three.
In their loss last season to La Salle, the Broncs saw a big effort from Daniel Stewart, who dropped 22 points (5-8 FG), including a 12-12 mark from the free throw line.
Up Next
The Explorers will host Penn State on Wednesday, December 5 at 9 PM at the Palestra in a nationally televised game on the NBC Sports Network.
