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PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team used an 18-5 run midway through the second half to cruise past Hartford, 75-62, on Wednesday evening at Tom Gola Arena. The Explorers never trailed in the contest and the Hawks didn't sniff a tie after the 13:46 mark in the first half with the game locked at 7-7. Senior Tyrone Garland led the Explorers with 17 points (5-10 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 6-7 FT), 13 coming in the second half. 

"I was pleased with our effort," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "We did a lot of good things. We didn't turn it over. I thought we really competed defensively. We had guys played more the way we're used to seeing them play and more the way we want to see them play. I think we were much better today."

La Salle (4-4) maintained a comfortable lead for the majority of the first half, forcing 12 Hawk turnovers in the period. The lead grew to as many as 10 (29-19) but Hartford closed the half on a 7-4 run to close the gap to 33-26.

The Explorers shot 41 percent (12-29) from the field in the opening half but connected only once from behind the arc on eight attempts. Hartford converted at a 37 percent clip but knocked down four triples to keep the lead in sight. Sophomore Khalid Lewis and junior Rohan Brown led La Salle in scoring at six apiece at intermission. Lewis added a pair of steals behind zealous perimeter defense.

"Khalid got to practice for the second team in seven weeks and we think he's a big plus for us," Giannini said of his guard who's bouncing back from a broken hand. "We're going to be a better team as he gets into the flow more."

The Hawks (2-7) cut the deficit to 49-45 before the Explorers flipped the switch on in front of the home crowd to the tune of an 18-5 run. Garland, who came off the bench for only the second game this season, accounted for nine points in the surge as La Salle opened up a 67-50 cushion. The Explorers knocked down 17 free throws in the second half as Hartford's defense labored.

"Tyrone really played one of his best games since he's been here," Giannini said. "When you bring Garland and Lewis off the bench, now you have a spurt-ability factory. Now you have a five or six point lead and make it a 12 or 13 point lead."

Junior Steve Zack did much of the heavy lifting in La Salle's front court with junior Jerrell Wright (nine points, four rebounds) in foul trouble for much of the game, limiting him to 11 minutes. Zack poured in 15 points (4-8 FG, 7-8 FT) and collected 10 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

"It's just part of the offense," Zack said post-game when asked about his role in the victory. "You do whatever's working and me and Jerrell both felt we had an advantage down there so we really attacked that."

Senior Tyreek Duren rounded out the Explorer's double-figure scorers with 10 points (3-7 FG, 0-3 3-PT, 4-6 FT) and added four assists against no turnovers. D.J. Peterson chipped in seven rebounds and two assists. For the game, the Blue and Gold won the turnover battle 18-10. 

Hartford's Mark Nwakamma was a one-man wrecking crew, scoring 23 points (10-17 FG, 0-3 3-PT, 3-4 FT) while adding 10 rebounds. He singlehandedly kept the visitors in the ballgame for most of the night before fading down the stretch.

For the game, La Salle shot 46 percent (23-50) from the field, 31 percent (4-13) from behind the arc, and 74 percent (25-34) from the charity stripe. The Hawks went 22-49 (45 percent) from the field, 6-25 (25 percent) from deep, and 12-16 (75 percent) from the free throw line. The Explorers outrebounded the visitors 33-28.

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.