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PHILADELPHIA – Ramon Galloway hit a layup at the 2.7 second mark and a half court heave from Butler's Roosevelt Jones drew unfriendly iron, as the La Salle men's basketball team (13-5, 3-2 A-10) took down #9/9 Butler in front of a sold out crowd at Tom Gola Arena Wednesday evening.

The Explorers led 52-51 until Butler's Andrew Smith converted a nifty layup with 8.4 seconds left, giving the Bulldogs a one point advantage. La Salle advanced the ball quickly to its trusty leader, who was not to be denied, beating his defender off the dribble for an acrobatic finish.

“It's the greatest feeling ever,” Galloway said post-game. “It's one of the greatest wins ever in my life. I know it is for my teammates too.”

“We beat a team that is objectively a great team,” head coach Dr. John Giannini said. “We have to feel tremendous about getting a hard earned victory over a special opponent like that.”

Just four days after Roosevelt Jones hit a floater at the buzzer to knock off then #8 Gonzaga, the sophomore could not have come closer to another dagger - this time from 50 feet. However, the Explorer Entourage had other ideas and gold-rushed the floor upon the unanswered prayer.

Much to their dismay, the hysterical fans were asked to clear the floor as the referees reviewed the clock on the monitor to ensure an accurate finish. When they made their decisive signal, the Entourage once again avalanched onto the court, this time for good.

“There was no way we were losing this game, not after what we just went through,” Duren said when asked if he was concerned about the end-game charade.

The first half undoubtedly belonged the visitors, who fell to 16-3, 3-1 A-10 with the loss. The Bulldogs shot 52 percent from the field in the first period, but maintained only a 28-23 lead over the Explorers at intermission.

La Salle took the lead for the first time at the 9:50 mark in the second half on a Tyreek Duren layup, a lead they would not relinquish until trailing 51-50 in the waning minutes.

The Explorers used a 13-3 run midway through the period, seeing a 37-30 defecit disappear and a 43-40 advantage result.

When asked what the biggest key was to his team's victory, Coach Giannini simply said “fighting.”

Duren likened the victory to a fight as well.

“We just kept up our defense,” he said. “Nobody gave up. They hit us in the first half but we came back striking. I think from there, it was blow for blow. We just gutted it out.”

Duren posted 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks on the evening and blanketed the Bulldog ball handlers in 35 minutes. Sam Mills added 11 points, five helpers, and four assists. Nine of his 11 points came in the second frame, most notably a floater which put the Explorers up 52-51.

Galloway, who entered the contest averaging over 17 points/game, hibernated for most of the night before peeking his head out at the most crucial moment in the game. The senior finished with six points (3-10 FG, 0-4 3PT), two of which will never be forgotten.

“My teammates keep telling me to keep playing when my shots weren't falling,” Galloway said. “They were telling me I was going to win the game.”

As a team, the Explorers shot 41 percent (23-56) from the floor, 27 percent (4-15) from three point range, and 67 percent (4-6) from the free throw line.

Butler converted at 49 percent (23-47) from the field, 38 percent (3-8) from three, and 57 percent (4-7) from the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs were paced by Andrew Smith (16 pts; 7-10 FG, 2-4 FT), who added eight rebounds. Kellen Dunham (15 pts; 6-11 FG, 3-4 3PT) and Roosevelt Jones (14 pts; 6-14 FG, 0-1 3P, 2-3 FT) joined the double digit scoring column for Butler as well.

La Salle's steady back court fumbled only eight turnovers in the game, and forced 13. The Explorers were credited with 18 points off turnovers and 12 fast break points.

The Explorers will look to strike gold again on Saturday, when they take on #19/16 VCU in Richmond.