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HAMDEN, Conn. – La Salle redshirt junior Jordan Price hit two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining and the Explorers fought back from an 11-point deficit to win at Quinnipiac, 60-58, on Tuesday night at TD Bank Arena.
 
Price led the team with 18 points, with 13 coming after halftime.
 
"We had one of the best big men in the A-10 go down at halftime," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "We had a bunch of new guys who have been hesitant to take shots. We were down double-digits playing a 20-win team on their home court. But we ended up finding ourselves and winning a big game."
 
It wasn't pretty early on as the Blue and Gold struggled to make shots. The outlook was even bleaker when senior forward Jerrell Wright didn't play the second half with back tightness.
 
But La Salle (2-0), with a cast of mostly new faces, never relented and fought back to win a tough road game against a 20-12 postseason team from a year ago.
 
"If we ever get clicking offensively, we could really have a good team," Giannini said. "Because mentally you have to like what you see from this team."
 
Price's two free throws with only seconds to go came after he had driven the length of the court after the Bobcats' Zaid Hearst made 2-of-3 free throws to tie the game at 58-58 with 11 seconds to play.
 
The big spurt, however, came midway through the second half. With Wright saddled on the bench and the visitors trailing by 10 points, the Explorers used four three-pointers in a span of 90 seconds to take a two-point lead. La Salle had missed its previous 15 three-pointers.
 
Redshirt junior Khalid Lewis added nine points and didn't turn the ball over once, while senior D.J. Peterson had eight points, including two three-pointers in the 12-0 run, and tied a career-high with eight points. He had just one turnover.
 
Cleon Roberts, Steve Zack (11 rebounds) and Amar Stukes each added seven points.
 
The comeback with Wright out was made even more impressive by the maniacal rebounding by Quinnipiac. The Bobcats, who led the country last season in rebounding and rebounding margin, had a 59-35 advantage on the boards. La Salle played the second half with a four-guard offense and forced 16 turnovers to help negate the rebounding deficit.
 
"We've been winning with defense and not turning it over and that was our formula again today," Giannini said.
 
For the second straight game, La Salle committed single digit turnovers (nine) and kept its opponent under 60 points. Quinnipiac shot just 28.6% from the field and 14.3% from three-point range.
 
Hearst led Quinnipiac (1-1) with 18 points, while Ousmane Drame had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Six Bobcats had at least six rebounds.
 
The Explorers return home on Saturday to host Saint Peter's at 12:30 PM.