Men's Basketball | January 15, 2015

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team returns home on Saturday afternoon as it hosts the Fordham Rams for a 2 p.m. tip from Tom Gola Arena. La Salle will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1989-90 men's basketball team that went 30-2, won the MAAC Championship and reached the NCAA Tournament, as well as the 25th anniversary of Lionel Simmons' national player of the year award at the game.
 
Fordham Rams (5-10, 0-4 A-10) at La Salle Explorers (9-8, 1-3 A-10)
Saturday, January 17 | 2 PM | Tom Gola Arena
 
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Game Notes
La Salle | Fordham
 
Last Time Out
La Salle held a 25-23 halftime advantage but Dayton outplayed the Explorers on both ends of the court on their way to a 61-50 win at UD Arena. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Price led La Salle with 13 points and seven rebounds. Senior Steve Zack and redshirt sophomore Cleon Roberts each added 10 points and four rebounds. A Khalid Lewis three-pointer early in the second half put the Explorers up 31-28 with 17:11 remaining, but it proved to be the final lead for the visitors. Dayton went on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to regain control of the game.

All-Time Series
La Salle leads the all-time series 34-13 over Fordham. The Explorers have won six of the past seven matchups over the Rams, including a thrilling 64-62 win last March thanks to a Tyreek Duren buzzer-beating lay-up. La Salle has won seven of the eight matchups between the two schools played in Tom Gola Arena and is 16-1 at home all-time versus Fordham.
 
Scouting the Explorers
Cleon Roberts and Jordan Price have been La Salle's most consistent scorers of late. Roberts has scored in double figures in six straight games while Price has reached double digits in 10 of the last 11 contests. Price has moved into third in the Atlantic 10 scoring ranks, averaging 17.1 points per game.
 
Seniors Steve Zack and Jerrell Wright are both in the top ten in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding, averaging 8.4 and 6.9 rebounds per game, respectively. Zack also ranks third in the conference with 5.9 defensive rebounds per game and fourth in total blocks (34).

Scouting the Rams
The Rams are still in search of their first win in 2015, going 0-4 to begin league play following wins over Howard and South Carolina State at the end of December.

A pair of newcomers have been making headlines during their first season in Rose Hill as Eric Paschall and Chris Sengfelder are the only freshmen teammates in the A-10 to average more than 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this year. Paschall is sixth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (16.3 ppg) while also pulling down 6.0 rpg. Sengfelder is averaging 11.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg.

Fordham's Ryan Rhoomes ranks in the top ten in the league in rebounds and blocked shots, pulling down 8.9 rebounds per game (4th) with 23 total blocks (7th). As a team, the Rams lead the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.3). Meanwhile, junior guard Mandell Thomas is second in the league in steals with 2.3 takeaways per game.

Up Next
The Explorers are back on the road next week as they visit the Rhode Island Rams on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip from the Ryan Center. The game will be broadcast locally on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.