PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will take on Morgan State on Friday, November 22 at 9 PM (ET) in the first round of the ezybonds.com Paradise Jam. The tournament will take place in St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands with games being held at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center.

Morgan State Bears (0-4) vs. La Salle Explorers (2-2)
Friday, November 22, 2013 | 9 PM | UVI Sports and Fitness Center

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Radio: WNTP 990 AM
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Game Notes
La Salle | Morgan State 

Last Time Out
Penn State used a 17-4 run midway through the second half to break open a close contest and defeat La Salle, 79-72, on Tuesday (Nov. 19) at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Explorers placed four players in double-figures, led by senior Tyrone Garland's 18 points. Senior Tyreek Duren scored 16 points and dished four assists, while juniors Jerrell Wright (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Steve Zack(12 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles.

Scouting the Explorers
La Salle enters the weekend leading the Atlantic 10 in assist/turnover ratio (1.7), second in offensive rebounds/game (14.8), third in free throw percentage (.752, and fifth in turnover margin (+3.25).

Duren has provided much of the muscle on the offensive side for the Blue and Gold, averaging 17.5 points/game and 4.8 assists/game, both in the top-eight in the conference rankings. He ranks third in the A-10 in steals/game (2.0), third in assist/turnover ratio (3.2) and leads the nation in minutes/game (39.8).

Duren's backcourt mates Garland (17.3 ppg) and Sam Mills (9.0 ppg) have combined to knock down 11 3-pointers. Garland is second on the team with 22 free throw makes while Mills has knocked in 10.

Wright is riding a streak of three double-doubles and comes in averaging 13.0 points/game and 9.3 rebounds/game. Zack isn't far behind in either department, averaging 9.3 points/game and 8.0 rebounds/game while leading the team blocks (8).

Khalid Lewis has begun to make an impact after missing the first two games with a hand injury. He played  eight minutes against Siena on Saturday and 12 minutes against Penn State on Tuesday. 

Scouting Morgan State
The Bears enter Friday night's matchup against the Explorers still searching for their first victory of the season. They have failed to crack the win column through the team's first four games of the season, being outscored by an average 17.2 point margin (79.2 OPP-to-62.0 MSU). The Bears have been inching closer to achieving their first victory in recent games. After back-to-back 20+ point losses at Ohio State and at Towson, they only fell by a combined ten points in their last two games at home, a 68-61 defeat to San Diego and a 65-62 heartbreaker against Ohio.
 
Preseason expectations were extremely high for the return of senior guard Justin Black and he has not disappointed. The Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection has averaged 20.0ppg to pace the Bears, while adding 4.5rpg, which is second best on the squad. He is fourth in the MEAC in scoring average.
 
Senior center Ian Chiles provides the frontcourt presence to supplement Black's perimeter game. The Preseason All-MEAC Second Team selection has averaged 10.8ppg, while adding 4.0rpg. He is tied for 11^th in the conference for blocked shots, notching five on the season.
 
Sophomore forward Cedric Blossom has led the way on the boards for the Bears. He is tied for 12^th in the conference for rebounding, pulling down 5.8rpg. Sophomore guard Donte Pretlow has been a strong defensive presence coming off the bench for Morgan State. He is second in the MEAC, averaging three steals per game, swiping 12 total on the season.
 
The Explorers are 3-1 against Morgan State in program history, with the last meeting on November 20, 2010 in the second round of the Cancun Challenge. The Explorers downed Morgan State 79-74 shooting 55.1% from the field (27-of-49). Aaric Murray led the way for the Explorers, nearly notching a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and a school record nine blocks.
 
The Next Opponent
Depending on the results of the first round, the Explorers will either face Providence or Vanderbilt in the second round of the Paradise Jam with time still to be determined. Providence and Vanderbilt faceoff in the game immediately before the Explorers take on Morgan State.
 
Scouting Providence
The Friars have started their first season as a member of the newly reformed Big East on fire, outscoring their first four opponents by an average of 18.5 points. They knocked off Boston College 82-78 in overtime in their season opener, with their other stiff test, a 73-69 victory, coming from cross-town rival Brown. In their last two games they've routed Marist (93-48) and Vermont (70-49), winning by an average 33 points.
 
Senior guard Bryce Cotton leads the backcourt for the Friars. The Preseason All-Big East First Team selection has averaged 20.0ppg while dishing out 7.0 assists per contest. He is currently third in the conference in scoring average, while he sits atop the conference rankings in assist average.
 
A trio of dynamic forwards headlines the frontcourt attack for the Friars. Junior LaDontae Henton paces the trio, nearly averaging a double-double per contest. He is tenth in the conference in scoring average (17.3ppg), while he is second in rebounding (9.5rpg). Senior Kadeem Batts is not far behind, ranking tied for 15^th in the Big East in scoring (15.3ppg), while ranking fourth in the conference on the glass (8.5rpg). Sophomore Tyler Harris chips in 10.8ppg and 5.0rpg.
 
The Explorers are 3-2 against Providence in program history. The last meeting was an 84-73 victory for the Blue & Gold on November 23, 2010. Four Explorers poured in double-digit points in the contest, paced by Aaric Murray's 20 points and 11 boards, as the Explorers shot 50% (32-of-64) from the field.
 
Scouting Vanderbilt
The Commodores enter Paradise Jam with a 2-1 mark, defeating their first two opponents before falling at Butler 85-77 in overtime on Tuesday. The Commodores have averaged 81 points per game through their first three contests.
 
They are paced in the backcourt by guard Eric McClellan. The redshirt sophomore has 20.0ppg, while collecting 5.7 boards and 2.7 assists per contest.
 
Senior forward Rod Odom patrols the frontcourt. He has averaged 16 points per contest, while chipping in five rebounds per game. He has shown a propensity to step away from the basket, proving to be a difficult perimeter matchup at 6-9. He is shooting a scorching hot 57.1% (12-of-21) from beyond the arc.
 
The Explorers are 0-1 against Vanderbilt in program history. Their only matchup was in 1967, with the Commodores outlasting the Blue & Gold 100-95.
 
The Other Half of the Bracket
The other half of the Paradise Jam bracket is composed of Loyola Marymount, Maryland, Marist and Northern Iowa. The Explorers will face one of these four opponents on Monday of the tournament at a time still to be determined.
 
Scouting Maryland
The Terrapins enter Paradise Jam with a 1-2 mark in their final season as a member of the ACC. They have five players who average double-figure points per game, headlined by sophomore Jake Layman. The 6-8 swingman averages 15.7ppg and 5.7rpg.
 
The Explorers are 0-3 against Maryland all-time. Their last meeting was in 1994 with the Terps outlasting the Blue & Gold 96-80.
 
Scouting Marist
The Red Foxes enter Paradise Jam still searching for their first win of the 2013-14 season.  has struggled on both ends of the floor so far this season, averaging only 53.2ppg while allowing 80.0ppg to their opponents. Junior swingman leads the Red Foxes in scoring averaging 15 points per contest, while chipping in six assists which is tied for the team lead.
 
The Explorers are 1-1 against Marist in their program history. The two matchups took place in the early 2000's with La Salle winning 70-64 in 2001. Marist won the most recent matchup in 2002 by a score of 97-80.
 
Scouting Northern Iowa
The Panthers enter Paradise Jam with a 1-2 mark. The Missouri Valley Conference affiliate gave George Mason a battle in their most recent matchup this past Saturday, ultimately falling 76-70. Senior forward paces Northern Illinois with 15.3ppg while also adding 3.7rpg.
 
The Explorers have never played Northern Iowa.
 
Scouting Loyola Marymount
The Lions enter Paradise Jam on a roll, entering the tournament with a perfect 4-0 undefeated record, which includes a hard fought 74-73 road victory over Long Beach State. Loyola Marymount boasts a powerful offense, which has averaged 85.0 points per contest and has hit or exceeded the 90-point threshold twice already this season. Four scorers average double-figures for the Lions, paced by senior guard Anthony Ireland who averages 16.5ppg while also adding 5.0rpg and 7.0apg.
 
The Explorers are 1-1 all-time against Loyola Marymount. Both meetings came in the early 90's and both were track meets. The Explorers dropped the first matchup in 1990 by a 121-116 score. They evened the series in 1991, racking up 133 points to dispatch the Lions 133-111.

Up Next
The Explorers return home for a December 4 matchup vs. Hartford a 7 PM.