PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will play host to Wagner on Thursday at 7 PM in its final home game before the turn of the new year. 

Wagner Seahawks (5-6) at La Salle Explorers (5-5)
Thursday, December 19, 2013 | 7 PM | Tom Gola Arena

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Game Notes
La Salle | Wagner

Last Time Out
La Salle fell, 73-52 to #10/14 Villanova at The Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The Explorers hung with the 10th ranked Wildcats through the first twenty minutes, trailing by four, 38-34, at the intermission. However, the Wildcats locked down the interior in the second half, while their offense shot nearly 60%, to record the 21-point victory and a 3-0 start to the Big 5 slate for the first time since 2010.

All-Time Series
This Thursday will mark the first meeting between La Salle and Wagner in men's basketball. The Explorers and Seahawks have played one common opponent to date, with both teams dropping competitive contests at Penn State. La Salle is 32-11 all-time against current Northeast Conference members.
 
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle has been lethal from the free throw line this season, ranking second in the Atlantic 10 with a 72 percent clip. They also continue to be sturdy with the basketball, coming in fourth in the conference in turnover margin (+2.40) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.1). Offensive rebounding has been a strength as well, ranking fifth in the A-10 with 12.8 offensive rebounds/game.

Junior Jerrell Wright led the Explorers with 20 points in Sunday's loss at Villanova, his second-highest output of the season. He scored 21 points in La Salle's win over Stony Brook on December 7 and ranks second on the team with 13.2 points/game. He chips in 6.2 rebounds/game, second-most on the squad.

Senior Tyrone Garland continues to lead the Explorers in scoring at 15.4 points/game. Garland had reached double figures in every game this season before scoring seven against the Wildcats on Sunday. He ranks seventh in the conference in free throw percentage (.792).

Senior Tyreek Duren has done the majority of the ball handling for the Explorers, leading the team in assists (35) against 18 turnovers, the seventh-best mark in the A-10. He is averaging 37.2 minutes/game, second-most in the conference while ranking fourth in the A-10 in steals/game (2.0). Duren is one of La Salle's most reliable free throw shooters, coming in at 78 percent.

Junior Steve Zack has been a beast on the boards of late, hauling in 49 rebounds over his past five games. Zack leads the Explorers in rebounds/game (8.9) and ranks third in the A-10. He ranks second on the team in field goal percentage (.466).

Senior Sam Mills, Junior D.J. Peterson, and sophomore Khalid Lewis have provided depth in the Explorer backcourt this season. Lewis has rebounded nicely after starting the season on the shelf with a hand injury, playing double figure minutes in each of his last three games. He scored a season-best six points against Villanova on Sunday.

Scouting the Seahawks
Wagner enters Thursday night's matchup with a record of 5-6, coming off a 79-58 loss at Rider over the weekend. 
 
The Seahawks rank middle of the Northeast Conference pack in most categories, but are strongest on the defensive interior. They rank tops in the conference in rebounding, averaging 36.8 rebounds/game. They also take the top spot in blocks, averaging a shade under five (4.82) per game. They will attempt to stop a red-hot Jerrell Wright who ranks second on the Explorers with 13.2 points/game and is coming of 20+ point efforts in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
 
Wagner is paced by the play of their dynamic backcourt, led by senior guards Latif Rivers and Kenneth Ortiz.
 
Rivers leads the Seahawks and ranks eighth in the Northeast Conference, averaging 14.7 points/game. He also ranks tied for second on the team with ten steals. In his trip to Philadelphia earlier this month, Rivers gashed Penn for 18 points and swiped three steals to guide Wagner to the overtime victory.
 
Ortiz impact can be felt all over the stat sheet. He ranks second on the team and 13^th in the conference, averaging 12.9 points/game. He leads the team in both assists (44) and steals (18). He ranks seventh in the NEC with 4.0 assists/game, while he ranks fourth in the conference with 1.64 steals/game. He also ranks third on the team with a 4.5 rebounds/game average.
 
Junior forward Mario Moody and senior center Naofall Folahan patrol the frontcourt. While neither are a main focal point of the Seahawks attack, they are imposing presences on the defensive end. Both players are tied for eighth in the NEC, collecting 5.3 rebounds/game. Folahan leads the conference in blocks (22) and blocks/game average (2.0). Moody ranks third in the conference, swatting 15 shots for a 1.36 blocks/game average.
 
Up Next
The Explorers will visit Miami on Sunday at 3 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.