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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – La Salle put together a complete second half, stretching a five-point halftime advantage into a 75-56 road victory at Duquesne on Sunday afternoon. Senior Tyreek Duren had a season-high 23 points, including 14 in the second half, and dished a game-high six assists.
 
The win was the third straight for the Explorers (9-6, 2-0 A-10) and snapped a five-game winning streak for Duquesne.  La Salle is 6-2 since returning from the Paradise Jam, with the only defeats coming at #8 Villanova and at Miami.
 
"We played terrific," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "I give our team credit for winning a game like this because they are a good team. We really defended and we were really together. There wasn't one area of the game I wasn't pleased with, especially in the second half."
 
The Explorers also received strong contributions from Tyrone Garland, who had 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting and Steve Zack, who recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The eight double-doubles lead the Atlantic 10.
 
Duren was the steady force has he been for his entire La Salle career, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and making 4-for-8 from three-point range. He joined several La Salle, Big 5 and A-10 legends as his two steals gives him 1,400 points, 400 assists and 200 steals for his career.
 
Doug Overton is the only other Explorer in that club, with the rest of the list filled out by players like Jameer Nelson and Kerry Kittles, to name a few.
 
"I didn't even know about that," Duren said. "It's a great accomplishment. The teams I've played on have helped me accomplish those stats. It's a great honor."
 
In his last four games, Duren is averaging 17.0 ppg. and 4.0 apg.
 
As a team, La Salle made a season-best 10 three-pointers and has won 18 straight games when making at least nine from long range.
 
The Dukes imposed a bit of a helter-skelter variety of play in the early going and held a 26-21 lead with five minutes to play in the first half. The Explorers went on a 24-9 run over the next 10 minutes that broke the game open as the Blue and Gold stretched the lead to 45-35 early in the second half.
 
Duquesne (8-6, 1-1 A-10) cut the lead to seven quickly, but the Explorers countered with 14 points from Duren over the next eight minutes that put the game out of reach. The lead reached as many as 21 points several times in the closing minutes.
 
Dominique McKoy had 15 points and 11 rebounds to pace Duquesne. Ovie Soko and Derrick Colter added 12 points as well.
 
"One win in this league could be the difference between two, three, or four spots, GIannini said. "Every win in this league is really, really precious."
 
La Salle returns home on Wednesday to host Rhode Island at 7 PM. On Saturday, the Explorers play host to Temple and ESPN GameDay at the Palestra. Doors open at 8 AM and the GameDay show begins at 10 AM. Tip-off is noon.