PHILADELPHIA – Coming off one its most impressive weeks in recent memory, the La Salle men's basketball team will look to stay hot when Massachusetts comes to town on Wednesday.

Massachusetts Minutemen (13-5, 3-2 A-10) at La Salle Explorers (14-5, 4-2 A-10)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 | 7 PM | Tom Gola Arena
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Game Notes
La Salle | Massachusetts

Last Time Out
The Explorers knocked off #19/16 VCU in Richmond on Saturday night behind a career-high 31 points (9-18 FG, 4-8 3PT, 9-10 FT) from Ramon Galloway. Tyreek Duren added 16 points (4-10 FG, 0-1 3PT, 8-11 FT), five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The backcourt tandem accounted for 68 percent of La Salle's scoring for the game, including the Explorer's last 21 points down the stretch.

VCU entered the game as the Atlantic 10's most potent offense (79.3 ppg, 8.7 threes/game) but the Blue and Gold limited the Rams to a 38 percent (23-6) clip from the field and a 4-16 mark from behind the arc.

All-Time Series
La Salle and Massachusetts have split the all-time series at 14 apiece with the Explorers claiming the last three meetings. Last season, the Blue and Gold took two from the Minutemen, winning 82-75 at Gola Arena and 72-71 later in the season in Amherst. Galloway and Duren registered double figure nights in the scoring column on both occasions.

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

Last week's performance:
We beat two really great teams and we couldn't be more happy. That being said, we think there are a lot of great teams in this league. There are as many potential NCAA tournament teams as any conference in the country. It's not a time to reflect; it's a time to look forward.

The current state of the team:
I feel very similar to where we were last year when we were 6-2 and in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10 halfway through the season. It changes perception a lot and it puts you in position to do really great things but there's so much left it's ridiculous. We've barely started the conference season; we're barely halfway through. We know based on our experience that we're just starting out this process.

Galloway's impact:
You have to look at a person's overall impact and his overall impact has been hugely positive since the day he's arrived at La Salle. He's a talented player but what I like about him most is his emotion, enthusiasm, and passion. It rubs off on others. I thought the best thing about his stat line against VCU was two turnovers. It showed he was not only aggressive and successful, but under control and he played a huge part in us winning the game by beating VCU's pressure and not falling into that trap of playing too fast and turning it over which VCU feeds on.

Scouting the Explorers
Galloway was recognized as the A-10, Big 5 and National Player of the Week for January 28 for his efforts in the Explorer's victories over Butler and VCU. The senior ranks third in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg) and fourth in both steals/game (2.4) and three point field goals/game (2.8). Duren stands among the top-15 in the A-10 in points/game (14.5), assists/game (3.4), steals/game (2.1), and assist/turnover ratio (1.6). The tandem anchors the steady backcourt which ranks 22^nd nationally in turnover margin (3.7).

Scouting the Minutemen
Massachusetts has won three of its last four and 10 of its last 12. The Minutemen defeated Richmond, 70-65, in Amherst on Sunday afternoon to improve its conference record to 3-2. Losses to George Washington and Saint Louis and wins over Fordham and Duquesne mark the Minutemen in-conference thus far.

Massachusetts is paced by the play of junior point guard Chaz Williams, whose 7.2 assists/game ranks sixth nationally. Williams' 16.4 points/game are the fifth-most in the conference. Junior guard Jesse Morgan (13.4 ppg) and senior forward Terrell Vinson (11.5 ppg) aid the Minutemen's scoring cause while sophomore big Cody Lalanne hauls in a team-high 6.4 rebounds/game.

As a team, Massachusetts ranks third in the A-10 in scoring (72.8 ppg), third in blocks/game (4.7), fourth in steals/game (8.1 spg), and fourth in assists/game (14.5).  

Coach's Corner
UMass Head Coach Derek Kellogg on...

What to expect from the Explorers:
We haven't played particularly well down at La Salle in my tenure and even before I got here. It's been a place they've always played really well. I'm really impressed with their team; Coach has them really defending and pushing tempo and playing a unique style. So, I think we need to prepare like we always do and hopefully we're a little better in our style and our game than we have been in years past down there. They're thought of an an NCAA tournament team in our conference. I'm really impressed with Tyreek [Duren] and [Ramon] Galloway. Inside, Zack's improved and with Garland being added to the mix and Mills and Peterson, they have a nice complement of players and I'm actually hoping we can be in the contest with three or four minutes left with a chance to win.

Up Next
La Salle will trek to Washington, D.C. for a Saturday matinee matchup with the George Washington Colonials at 2 PM.