| Box Score (PDF) | Inside the Game Column | Photo Gallery | Storify | ESPN Highlights | Comcast SportsNet Highlights

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team returned to action Tuesday morning, outlasting a determined Quinnipiac squad,  73-67, before a national television audience, as the Explorers took part in ESPN's Sixth Annual Tip-Off Marathon. Senior guard Tyreek Duren paced the Blue & Gold on both ends, netting 17 points (5-for-17 FG, 7-for-8 FT) while swiping three steals and five rebounds. Freshman guard Kasim Chandler led the Bobcats offense, scoring 19 points (5-for-13 FG, 9-for-10 FT) in his second collegiate game.
 
"They're not a bad team. Night in and night out, everybody is going to give you their best shot," Tyreek Duren said. "We got the 'X' on our back now, nobody is going to come in here and just lay down and let us beat them."
 
The Blue & Gold faced a difficult test from the underdog Bobcats, especially on the glass. Rebounding proved to be La Salle's Achilles heel in their season opening loss to Manhattan, as it was outrebounded 51-33.

Strong play on the boards has been the identity of the Bobcats during the tenure of Head Coach Tom Moore. Quinnipiac has ranked in top-two in the nation for total rebounding and rebounding margin each of the last two years, and posted a 47-31 advantage on the boards in their season opening victory over Hartford.
 
"Coach G, right after the Manhattan game, the first thing he put up was that Quinnipiac was number two in rebounding margin and total rebounds," junior center Steve Zack said. "He really challenged not only the big guys, but the guards too."
 
The commitment to cleaning up the boards was evident in today's contest, as the Explorers held their own on the glass, both teams pulled down 43 boards apiece. Zack grabbed six rebounds in the contest, while adding 15 points (7-for-11 FG, 1-for-4 FT). Jerrell Wright led the Explorers with 12 rebounds, adding 11 points (4-for-17 FG, 3-for-7 FT) for his first double-double of the season.
 
"Quinnipiac has outrebounded every opponent in their last 33 games," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "It's the first time in 33 games that someone has matched them in terms of rebounding, so our effort was great."
 
The Explorers, especially Duren and Zack, came out sharp despite the fact that the 9:00 am opening tip was the earliest in program history. They combined to score the Explorers first 16 points, both collecting eight apiece, as the Blue & Gold raced out to an early 16-10 lead.
 
The Explorers threatened to runaway with the game after opening up a game-high nine-point lead, at 27-18, on a Tyrone Garland driving layup with 6:36 remaining in the first half. However, a 13-4 run over the next 5:11, capped by a three-pointer from Umar Shannon, left the teams knotted at 31-31 with 1:25 remaining in the opening stanza. The Explorer would rally to score the last four points, taking a 35-31 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Blue & Gold came out of the break again looking to gain some separation, twice stretching the margin to seven over the course of a 9-4 run. Again the Bobcats battled back. An 11-2 run, capped by a fade-away by Chandler, gave Quinnipiac a 47-46 lead with 12:02 remaining, their first lead since scoring the opening bucket of the game.
 
The team's battled tooth and nail down the stretch, with a mini 4-0 run on a pair of free throws from redshirt sophomore forward Rohan Brown and a tip-in from Zack providing the Explorers with a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Senior guard Tyrone Garland iced the game with two free throws to stretch the lead to six with 20 seconds remaining, before a breakaway dunk capped the Blue & Gold's scoring, as they finished off the 73-67 victory.
 
Although Garland followed up his career-high 28 points against Manhattan with a quiet 12 points (4-for-11 FG, 4-for-4 FT) against Quinnipiac, it was his effort on the glass that stood out to Coach Giannini. He finished with three boards in the contest.  
 
"He had zero rebounds in 44 minutes against Manhattan," Giannini said. "The rebound that really iced the game today was a defensive rebound by Tyrone. Sometimes you don't play well, you don't do something, and then you learn from it and do better, so I am pleased with him."
 
The Explorers (1-1) will return to action this Saturday, celebrating homecoming with a 3:00pm opening tip against Siena.