PHILADELPHIA – Coming off an impressive 82-57 win over Penn State on Wednesday evening, La Salle travels to Boston for a Saturday showdown at Northeastern.

La Salle Explorers (5-1) @ Northeastern Huskies (4-4)
Saturday, December 8, 2012 | 7PM | Matthews Arena
Live Audio (FREE) | Live Tweets @ExplorerGameDay | Sign up for Text Alerts
Live Video (FREE)| Live Statistics

Game Notes
La Salle | Northeastern

Last Time Out
The Explorers used 16 three-pointers to put away the Nittany Lions in a nationally televised game at the Palestra. The total marked the highest single-game total since December 28, 1991. Tyreek Duren knocked down four of them en route to a career-high 29 points on 9-13 shooting. He converted seven of eight of his opportunities at the free throw line as well. Sam Mills and Ramon Galloway joined the party of three, notching seven combined treys in the winning effort.

Steve Zack added six points (6-7 FT) and a team-high eight boards to go along with two blocked shots. As a team, La Salle shot a blistering 52 percent (16-31) from three and 75 percent (18-24) from the free throw line. In addition, the Explorers committed only four turnovers in the contest, the lowest total during Dr. John Giannini's tenure as head coach.

All-Time Series
The Explorers have taken two of three from Northeastern, dating back to their first matchup in 1986, a 102-85 win for the Blue and Gold. Last season, La Salle toppled the Huskies 68-51 at Tom Gola Arena.

Coach's Corner
Head Coach Dr. John Giannini on...

A four turnover performance against Penn State:
Offensively we really believe that if we don't turn it over, we'll be fine. Because we have such good guards, we trust their decision making and we trust they can make plays. We think the biggest thing that can hurt us is turning it over and we did an amazingly good job of not doing that.

The continued fan suport:
We felt that momentum last year. That's a huge part of our success. It motivates you and energizes you and makes you feel appreciated. It's always positive when you get that kind of support. Our students did a great job and we're really indebted to them and appreciate it.

Scouting the Explorers
In last season's matchup, the Explorers shot 50 percent (26-52) from the field and 45 percent (9-20) from three. La Salle's stingy pressure forced 22 Northeastern turnovers, aided by three blocks and three steals by Jerrell Wright.

Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern has suffered three straight setbacks, most recently a 72-66 loss to in-state rival Massachusetts. Picked to finish fifth in the CAA in the preseason coaches' poll, the Huskies lost their first-team All-CAA preseason selection Jonathan Lee to a foot injury before the season began.

Senior guard Joel Smith is the Huskie's leading scorer at 17.0 ppg while adding 3.3 apg. Smith ranks in the top five in the CAA in points/game and three point percentage (.382). Quincy Ford, a preseason second-team CAA choice, averages 13.4 ppg and a team-best 6.9 rpg, the 12^th highest total in the conference.

As a team, Northeastern ranks in the top-three in the CAA in free throw percentage (.732) and assist/turnover ratio (0.9). Conversely, the rank last in field goal percentage defense (.465).

Up Next
The Explorers will take a week-long hiatus during finals week and return to the hardwood on Saturday, December 15 at Bucknell.