Men's Basketball | December 10, 2014

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team continues their stretch of Philadelphia based opponents as they head across town to Daskalakis Athletic Center to take on the Drexel Dragons on Saturday at 1 p.m.

La Salle Explorers (4-4) at Drexel Dragons (2-5)
Saturday, December 13 | 1:00 PM | Daskalakis Athletic Center

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Game Notes
La Salle | Drexel

Last Time Out
A second half comeback fell just short as Temple edged La Salle 58-57 at the Palestra on Saturday afternoon. La Salle fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half before using a 13-1 run to notch things up in the second half. Down by a point with less than 20 seconds remaining, a Jordan Price jumper rimmed out and the Owls were able to hit their free throws and seal out the victory. Four Explorers finished in double figures, led by senior Jerrell Wright's team-high 15 points and eight blocks. The game also saw the return of several Big 5 traditions including the throwing of streamers following the opening bucket and student sections roll outs.

All-Time Series
La Salle holds a decisive 20-4 advantage in the all-time series against Drexel. The Explorers have gone 8-2 in the last ten meetings with the Dragons and are currently on a five-game winning streak against their Philadelphia foe. The last meeting between the two schools was in 2005 with La Salle grabbing a 62-50 win at the Palestra. This will be the first time La Salle has traveled to Drexel since 1983, when the Explorers grabbed a narrow 63-61 win. 
 
Scouting the Explorers
Khalid Lewis has the hot hand for the Explorers (4-4), averaging 14.5 points and 3.0 rebounds over the last two games. DJ Peterson has also been solid lately for La Salle, distributing seven assists with just one turnover over the last three games. Peterson leads the A-10 in assist/turnover ratio at 4.8.

Redshirt sophomore Jordan Price is leading the Big 5 and ranks seventh in the Atlantic 10 with 16.1 points per game this season. The Decatur, Georgia native has tallied double digits in six of eight games this year and has hit 31 of his last 36 foul shots. 

Seniors Jerrell Wright and Steve Zack have been fixtures on the glass this season as both rank in the top ten in the conference in rebounding. Zack (fifth) pulls down 8.3 rebounds per game while Wright (eighth) is averaging 7.3. Wright is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and Zack chips in 7.9 points per game.

Scouting the Dragons
The Dragons are coming off a 54-52 loss at the buzzer to the University of the Sciences on Thursday at Daskalakis Athletic Center, and enter Saturday's game at 2-5 after wins over Cornell and Southern Mississippi. Three of the DU's losses have come by three points or less.

Damion Lee pours in 20.4 points per game to lead the Dragons, which ranks 19^th in college basketball this year. Lee, who missed last season due to injury, also pulls down 5.3 rebounds per game and is second on the team in assists (1.9 apg).

Drexel has limited opponents to 57.7 points per game, which leads the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dragons limited Southern Miss to 36 points (Nov. 30), and only Southern California (72 points) has scored more than 66 against DU this season.  

Up Next
La Salle returns to Tom Gola Arena on Tuesday, December 16 as it welcomes the American Eagles for a  7 p.m tip.