Men's Basketball | January 26, 2015

9:30 AM, TUESDAY - Tonight's game will be played as scheduled at 7 PM. Tickets are available by visiting www.goexplorers.com/buytickets 

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team returns home to finish its Big 5 schedule by hosting the Saint Joseph's Hawks for a 7 p.m. tip from Tom Gola Arena on Thursday. The game will be broadcast regionally on TCN, SNY, and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic as well as radio coverage in Philadelphia on WNTP 990 AM. Live video streaming will also be available for free via the A-10 Network. 

La Salle Explorers (10-9, 2-4 A-10) vs. Saint Joseph's Hawks (8-10, 2-4 A-10)
Tuesday, January 27 | 7 PM | Tom Gola Arena
 
TV: TCN, SNY, CSN-MA | Live Video (FREE)
Radio: WNTP 990 AM | Live Audio | 

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Game Notes
La Salle | Saint Joseph's

Last Time Out
La Salle allowed Rhode Island to go on a 10-0 run midway through the first half and was never able to fully cut into the Rams lead as they fell, 59-47, on Thursday night at Ryan Arena. Senior Jerrell Wright finished with 18 points to lead all scorers. 

Scouting the Explorers
La Salle and St. Joe's will play twice this season (March 4), but tonight's game will count in the Big 5 standings as the last official Big 5 game of the season. The Explorers are 7-4 in Big 5 play since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, which is the second best record over that span behind Villanova (10-2). 

Amar Stukes had a career-high seven steals on Thursday at Rhode Island, one shy of the school record. The seven swipes are the most by a freshman in Division I this season, and the most by an Explorer since Shawn Smith had his eight versus Virginia Tech on Jan. 27, 1998.

Stukes has now started the last five games for the Blue and Gold, and is averaging 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a starter.

Jerrell Wright had a game-high 18 points in Saturday's loss to Rhode Island, and is averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game over the last two games. Khalid Lewis also chipped in 10 points on Saturday, marking the third time this season the redshirt junior has scored in double figures.

Coach's Corner
Head Coach Dr. John Giannini on...
…Saint Joseph's:
[DeAndre'] Bembry is a player who you could argue is the best player in the league. He is very special, they have had good wins, they have good team size, they play good defense. They are like a lot of teams in this league that they are very capable of winning. They're coming off of a tough loss where they just didn't shoot the ball well. We know they have been playing well lately and they are beating good teams, they have a superstar in Bembry and a lot of other guys who can play defense and do things athletically at the A-10 level. They're younger and are going to keep getting better."

…On the Big 5:
What we have is five schools that have all been to a Final Four and no other city has more than two. We have played each other round robin for 60 years which is again completely unique. The majority of games have been played in the Palestra, on a neutral court, with the building split half for one team and half for another, it's an incredible atmosphere. When you do that over the years it becomes a tradition where the alums look forward to it and it's something everyone circles on their schedules early in the year. Guys who went to the school in the 50s and 60s are going to make sure they get to that game because they grew up watching that game. I think the whole Big 5 thing is very special and unique."

Scouting the Hawks
The Hawks are coming off a 56-52 loss to the Penn Quakers at the Palestra on Saturday despite a game-high 25 points from DeAndre' Bembry. The 6'6" forward has now scored 20-plus points for three straight games and has finished in double figures in 15 consecutive games.

Bembry's 17.5 points per game are second in the Atlantic 10, and his 1.9 steals per game rank fourth in the league. Junior Isaiah Miles adds 10.5 ppg for the Hawks.

The Hawks rank third in the A-10 in blocked shots with 4.6 blocks per game.  Bembry's 1.2 bpg are tied for 10th in the conference while teammate Javon Baumann is tied for 14th with 1.0 bpg.

Up Next
La Salle hits the road and travels to St. Bonaventure for a 7 pm tip on Saturday with TV coverage available on MYPHL 17.4 (Comcast channel 253/Verizon FIOS channel 468), TWC, and SNY and radio coverage on WNTP 990 AM.