PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will break an nine-day hiatus when it hosts Hartford on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Hartford Hawks (2-6) at La Salle Explorers (3-4)
Wednesday, December 4, 2013 | 7 PM | Tom Gola Arena
Radio: WNTP 990 AM
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Game Notes
La Salle | Hartford
Game Day Information
- All fans are invited to try out the refurbished Blue and Gold Commons for dinner. Show your game ticket and save $2 off your meal.
- Fans can purchase SWEET! The Journey of the 2012-13 La Salle Explorers at the bookstore kiosk in the mezzanine or at the ticket office at halftime for $20
Last Time Out
La Salle ended its trip to the US Virgin Islands on a sour note with a 65-50 loss to Northern Iowa in the third-place game on November 25. Junior Steve Zack was a bright spot, recording his second straight double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Tyrone Garland was the only other Explorer to reach double-figures with 10 points.
All-Time Series
La Salle is a perfect 5-0 all-time against Hartford, which includes a 64-51 victory last season against the Hawks at the Chase Family Arena in West Hartford. The Explorers shot 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the field in the first half to open a large 40-22 advantage, cruising to the easy victory. Tyreek Duren led the Explorers in scoring, netting 15 points in the contest. Jerrell Wright added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Rohan Brown posted a double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds.
Coach's Corner
Head Coach Dr. John Giannini on...
...his team's start to the season:
Well, we're happy November's over. The most frustrating part of it is we haven't looked like ourselves. There's a lot of reasons for that. All of them I think are fixable. When teams struggle for long periods of time, often they don't have experience, they may have catastrophic injuries, or they have horrible chemistry and we have none of those types of problems. Hopefully we get better, but at the end of the day, we're seriously not shooting the ball well and I never worry about that - I always try to keep my team loose and aggressive offensively. Most of my complaints are about effort in terms of defense and rebounding. Our last time out, we really lost some confidence. We started turning down good shots which means you're going to end up taking bad ones. That's really a bad formula.
...Steve Zack's continued development:
Steve's a really hard worker and a good player. He's playing on a bad ankle. But, unlike most players, he's gutted through it and able to play very well on it. Our big guys are good right now. Steve and Jerrell [Wright] are off to a pretty good start. Our guards are just uncharacteristically struggling.
...the scouting report on Hartford:
They have a very good scorer inside and they surround him with shooters. So, that's always a challenge to defend those kinds of teams. They're a veteran team - they have pretty much everbody back from a team that had a good year last year. But like us, they're struggling a little bit. But they remain dangersous; they're experienced, they've won before. I think defensively they present some challenges being able to score inside and outside.
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle enters the game ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in assist/turnover ratio (1.3) and offensive rebounds/game (14.3) and third in free throw percentage (.712).
Duren ranks third in the conference in minutes/game (38.4) and steals/game (2.3) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (2.1). The point guard leads the Explorers in assists/game (3.6) and is second in points/game (14.9).
Garland leads the squad in scoring, coming in at 16.9 points/game, ninth in the A-10. He is shooting 81 percent from the charity stripe and has been in double figures in all seven games this season.
Wright and Zack have carried the load in the Explorer frontcourt. Wright is third on the team in scoring with 11.7 points/game and has pulled down 6.6 rebounds/game. Zack ranks third in the conference in re bounding (9.1 rpg) and is fourth on the squad in scoring (9.4 ppg). His 1.7 blocks/game mark is good for fourth in the A-10. Both played have recorded three double-doubles.
Senior Sam Mills and junior D.J. Peterson have provided backcourt depth for the Blue and Gold. Mills is second on the team in minutes/game (34.4) and has knocked down 86 percent of his free throws. He is averaging 8.3 points/game and is tied for the team lead in 3-pointers with 11. Peterson is averaging 5.6 points/game and has 17 assists against nine turnovers.
Scouting the Hawks
Hartford was picked to finish fourth in the America East in the preseason polling of the leagues coaches, but has scuffled to a 2-6 record to begin their 2013-14 season. They hope the change of month from November to December will bring a fresh start, as the Hawks enter Wednesday looking to snap a current four-game losing streak, which includes a loss at Louisville and a two-game sweep in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. The Hawks offense failed to get off the ground in their most recent game, a 54-49 defeat at the hands of in-state rival Yale on Saturday afternoon.
Hartford is led by 2012-13 All-America East First Team selection Mark Nwakamma. The 6-6 forward was named to the Preseason All-America East team and he has not disappointed in his junior season. He leads the Hawks, and is fifth overall in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.0 ppg while playing just over 31 minutes per contest. He also is the Hawks staunchest presence on the glass, averaging 6.4rpg, which is the tenth best mark in the America East. Nwakamma poses a difficult matchup not only because of his ability in the paint, but also because of his ability away from the basket. He is a 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from beyond the arc on the season.
Complimenting Nwakamma in the frontcourt is redshirt sophomore Yasin Kolo. He has averaged 7.0ppg, while adding 2.9rpg per contest, including 12 points and eight rebounds against Louisville on 11/19.
Junior guard Yolonzo Moore II headlines the backcourt. He leads the Hawks in minutes played, averaging over 32 minutes per game. He ranks second on the team in scoring with 8.8ppg, while he is pesky presence on the defensive end, swiping a team leading 11 steals.
Sophomore Evan Cooper compliments the backcourt. He has averaged 7.8ppg, while adding nine steals and ten assists. He leads the Hawks in 3-PT field goals attempted, sinking them at a 32.4 percent (12-of-37) clip.
Up Next
The Explorers will battle Stony Brook on Saturday, December 7 at 11 AM. The game will take place at "The World's Most Famous Arena", as part of the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival.
Tickets are still available for $15, $35 or $65. Students can purchase a student ticket and bus trip for $15 at the Hayman Center. There is also an alumni/fan bus that will depart on Saturday morning.
