PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball will seek its second straight win on Saturday when it plays Stony Brook at "The World's Most Famous Arena" as part of the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival.

La Salle Explorers (4-4) vs. Stony Brook Seawolves (6-3)
Saturday, December 7, 2013 | 11 AM | Madison Square Garden

TV: Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia, MSG Network
Radio: Online only
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Game Notes
La Salle | Stony Brook 

Last Time Out
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. 

All-Time Series
Saturday's matchup will mark the first time in program history the Explorers have played Stony Brook. The Blue & Gold are 18-1 all-time against current members of the America East Conference, including a victory earlier this week against Hartford.

Scouting the Explorers
Over his last three games, junior Steve Zack is averaging 13.0 ppg and 11.3 rpg. He has recorded double-doubles in all three, the longest streak by any Explorer since Steven Smith had four straight from January 26 – February 6, 2005. Zack ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in rebounds/game (9.3) and is tied for fourth in blocks/game (1.8).

Senior Tyrone Garland continues to lead the Blue and Gold in scoring, ranking eighth in the conference with 16.9 points/game. He ranks third in the A-10 in free throw percentage (.814) and has had 10+ points in each of La Salle's eight games this season.

Senior Tyreek Duren is sixth nationally in minutes/game (38.0) and is second in the conference in steals/game (2.1) and third in assist/turnover ratio (2.4). He ranks 12^th in the A-10 in both assists/game (3.6) and free throw percentage (.778).
Garland and Duren have been augmented in the backcourt by sophomore Khalid Lewis, who played a season-high 23 minutes on Wednesday vs. Hartford. Lewis had nine points and a pair of steals in the effort.

Junior Jerrell Wright is third on the squad in scoring (11.4 ppg) and second in rebounds/game (6.3). He has made 23 of his last 34 shots (.676) over his last five games.

Scouting the Seawolves
Stony Brook enters Saturday's matchup with a 6-3 record, sitting at the top of pack in the America East Conference. The Seawolves are coming off a 77-62 pasting of Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday evening and have won three of their last four.
 
The Seawolves boast a talented and deep squad, headlined by preseason all-conference players Dave Coley and Jameel Warney. However, Stony Brook has gotten surprising contributions from Anthony Jackson and Carson Puriefoy. They boast the conferences top two scorers in Jackson and Warney, while Puriefoy ranks in the top fifteen in scoring average.
 
The frontcourt is patrolled by sophomore forward Jameel Warney. Voted the America East Rookie of the Year in 2012-13, he has taken another step forward in his second season for the Seawolves. He averages a double-double with 17.1 points/game and 10.3 rebounds/game. Warney is second in the conference in both scoring and rebounding average, while he far-and-away leads the conference in field goal percentage, shooting a scorching 66.7 (63-of-93) percent from the field. He also has been strong defensively in the interior, contributing ten steals and ten blocks.
 
The backcourt boasts trio of excellent guards in Coley, Jackson and Puriefoy. Coley has experienced somewhat of a down senior season for the Seawolves, but has still posted solid numbers. He has averaged 9.7 points/game, while he has had a strong presence on the glass averaging 4.9 rebounds/game.
 
Stony Brook has been buoyed by the breakout of two sophomore guards in Anthony Jackson and Carson Puriefoy. Jackson leads the conference in scoring averaging 17.4 points/game. He has been scintillating from long range, knocking down three-pointers at a 39.7 (23-of-58) percent clip. He also averages 2.7 assists/game, which is the tenth best mark in the America East. Puriefoy has averaged 13.0 points/game, which is the tied for fourteenth in the conference. He also leads the Seawolves with 11 steals, while he has added 23 assists.

Up Next
The Explorers hit the hardwood again on Sunday, December 15 when the play at Villanova at 2:30 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.