Box Score (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team controlled the pace of play from the opening tip in its final tune-up, an 87-57 victory over Division II IUP, on Saturday at Tom Gola Arena. Redshirt senior guard Taylor Dunn hit the Crimson Hawks with a shooting barrage, leading all players with 18 points, including an exceptional 5-for-7 mark from behind the arc.

"Just being out on [the] Gola court again, it felt really good," Dunn said. "I know that's how we know the season is really here and we're ready to pick up where we left off last year."

Senior point guard Tyreek Duren played an excellent game, collecting 13 points and six assists (versus no turnovers) in just twenty minutes of action. He was a spark plug for the Blue & Gold fast break, as the Explorers translated their speed advantage to several fast break opportunities throughout the first half.
 
"I think we are a fast team, even faster than last year," Duren said. "I think we can get even more fast break opportunities than we had last year."
 
Senior guard Tyrone Garland finished with 16 points and three assists, shooting 50% from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Dunn looked in midseason form this afternoon, repeatedly attacking the struggling Crimson Hawks perimeter defense. His hot streak midway through the first half put the game firmly in the Explorers hands, as he drained three-point shots on three consecutive Blue & Gold possessions. He followed that up with a steal to set up a streaking Tyrone Garland for a layup, before capping the run with another three-pointer to send the sizeable crowd that turned out to see the Explorers tune-up game into a frenzy.
 
"We have a lot of good guards, and Taylor is one of them, he's always been one of them," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "Taylor was terrific today and I'm sure he'll be terrific in the future too."
 
The Explorers began the game rocky on defense, allowing the Crimson Hawks to score on their first three possessions. However, the Blue & Gold seemed to settle in quickly, going on a subsequent 11-0 run, capped by a thunderous dunk by junior forward Jerrell Wright, prompting an IUP timeout with the Explorers leading 15-6. The Explorers maintained the nine-point advantage, until Dunn's prolific outburst blew the game open at 35-17 with 7:18 to go in the opening half.
 
La Salle remained sharp, finishing the half on a 15-10 run to take a 50-28 lead into the halftime intermission, which included an 8-0 run, with three point field goals by senior point guard Tyreek Duren and senior guard Tyrone Garland. The Explorers shot a scintillating 7-for-10 from three-point range in the first half, while executing at 19-for-31 from the field overall.
 
"I was really thrilled with the one turnover at halftime,"Giannini said. "Sometimes when you have a big lead it gets a little sloppy later, and I think that did happen, but one turnover at halftime was really good."
 
The Explorers began the second half on a 9-0 run, combining for a 17-0 run from the 1:47 mark of the first half to 18:09 mark of the second session, pushing the lead to a 59-28 La Salle advantage. After an exchange of baskets, another 8-0 run by the Blue & Gold, which included a three-point play and the more garden variety three-pointer by Dunn, stretched the advantage to nearly 40 at 72-33 with 11:23 to play.

The Blue and Gold used the sizeable lead to get a good look at some of the younger players on its talent-laden roster. Freshman guard Amar Stukes and redshirt-freshman center Jermaine Davis saw extensive action down the stretch, both finishing with four points apiece.
  
Junior inside presences Steve Zack and Jerrell Wright both finished the game with 12 points apiece. Zack was 5-for-7 from the field, while collecting six boards. Wright was 5-for-8, while gathering seven rebounds. Redshirt sophomore Rohan Brown led all Explorer players with nine rebounds in the contest.
 
The Explorers will open the regular season schedule at home next Saturday afternoon against the Manhattan Jaspers in a 2:00 pm matchup at Tom Gola Arena. The first 2,000 fans will receive a replica Sweet 16 banner.

Tickets are available by visiting www.goexplorers.com/buytickets.