PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team will return from a 13-day layoff on Saturday, January 4 to visit Big 5 rival Penn at the Palestra.
Tip-off is set for 4 PM (note time change).
La Salle Explorers (6-6, 0-1 Big 5) at Penn Quakers (2-8, 0-2 Big 5)
Saturday, January 4, 2014 | 4:00 PM | The Palestra
Radio: WFIL 560 AM
Live Video | Live Audio (FREE)
Live Stats | Live Tweets @ExplorerGameDay
Buy Tickets
Game Notes
La Salle | Penn
Last Time Out
La Salle raced to an early 12-7 lead but Miami controlled play the remainder of the contest to record a 71-58 victory at the Bank United Center on Sunday afternoon. Senior
Tyreek Duren led the Explorers with 18 points and five rebounds while classmate
Sam Mills had 15 and three steals. Junior center
Steve Zack recorded his Atlantic 10 best seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He has double-doubles in six of his past seven contests. "It's good we have a break," head coach
Dr. John Giannini said. "I really have to look at what we can do better because I do think our players are giving effort. I give Miami a ton of credit, they just outplayed us. "
All-Time Series
La Salle has won the last six meetings versus Penn but the Quakers own a 38-28 advantage in the all-time series.
Scouting the Explorers
•
Steve Zack has recorded double-doubles in six of his last seven games and leads the A-10 in double-doubles (seven) and ranks sixth nationally. The seven double-doubles are the most by an Explorer since Jerrell Williams had eight during the 2010-11 season.
• La?Salle has won nine of its last 12 games at the Palestra since the 2007-08 season, including three wins over Penn. The Explorers also have four wins over St. Joe's in that stretch.
• Over his last four games at the Palestra,
Tyreek Duren is averaging 22.0 ppg. and shooting 27-for-43 (.627) from the field and 12-for-17 (.705) from three-point range.
• Duren is close to joining select company in Big 5/A-10 history of guards with 1,400 points, 400 assists and 200 steals. He needs two more steals to join Doug Overton as the only Explorers in the elusive club. Nine Big 5 players and nine A-10 players have those numbers.
• La Salle has played the third hardest non-conference schedule in the A-10 to this point (57th) according to ESPN.com, trailing UMass (14th) and George Mason (54th).
• La?Salle is 11-2 since the beginning of the 2012-13 season after a loss, including 7-1 last season.
• La?Salle is leading the A-10 and ranks sixth nationally in fewest fouls per game (15.3) and ranks 11th nationally and first in the A-10 in fewest turnovers per game (9.9).
Scouting the Quakers
Penn entered Thursday's game at George Mason with a 2-8 record, having lost their last five games and seven of their last eight overall. The Quakers have gotten off to a 0-2 start to their Big 5 slate as well. They dropped a competitive 78-73 contest against Temple in the season home opener, before falling victim to Villanova's red hot play in a 77-54 loss at The Pavilion.
Sophomore guard Tony Hicks leads four players who average double figures in scoring. Hicks has followed up a strong freshman season, in which he earned an All-Ivy Honorable Mention, with even better sophomore season. He has averaged 13.8 points/game, while ranking second on the Quakers with 28 assists.
Senior guard Miles Cartwright joins Hicks as a steady contributor in the Penn backcourt. Cartwright has been especially lethal from beyond the arc this season, shooting a scintillating 46.2% (24-of-52). He ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.5 points/game, while he leads the Quakers dishing out 29 assists. Both Cartwright and Hicks have spearheaded a Penn team that excels at distributing the basketball. Entering Thursday's matchup against George Mason, the Quakers rank 22nd in NCAA Division I averaging 16.5 assists/game.
Sophomore center Darien Nelson-Henry and senior forward Fran Dougherty pace the Quakers frontcourt attack. Nelson-Henry ranks second on the team in scoring averaging 12.8 points/game, while he leads the Quakers on the glass pulling down 7.4 rebounds/game. Dougherty has put up solid numbers in his final season for Penn. He has averaged 11.3 points/game, while ranking second on the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.4 per contest.
Up Next
La Salle will begin Atlantic 10 play at Tom Gola Arena on Thursday, January 9 vs. George Washington at 8 PM on NBC Sports Network.
