Men's Basketball | December 10, 2015

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team returns following an eight-day layoff as its travels to #9/6 Villanova for the second Big 5 game of the season. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. at The Pavilion and the game will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports 1.
 
La Salle Explorers (4-3, 0-1 Big 5) at #9/6 Villanova Wildcats (7-1)
Sunday, December 13 | 5 PM | Villanova, Pa.

TV: Fox Sports 1 (Alex Faust, Ron Thompson) | Watch Live
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Game Notes
La Salle | Villanova

Last Time Out
Redshirt junior Jordan Price led La Salle with 19 points while classmate Cleon Roberts added 11 of his own, but it wasn't enough as La Salle fell 66-53 to Drexel. Graduate student Rohan Brown had seven points and a team-high eight boards. The Explorers forced 15 Dragon turnovers and sophomore Tony Washington had a career-high five blocks while Roberts added a career-high five steals.

Last Meeting With Villanova
La Salle fell, 84-70, to No. 10/9 Villanova at Tom Gola Arena in December of last season. Jerrell Wright scored a game-high 19 points in the loss having scored 17 of his points in the second half while hitting 6-of-8 shots from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. La Salle used a 16-6 run late in the second half to cut Villanova's lead from 20 points to 10 after a pair of free throws from Wright with 2:10 left.

Scouting the Explorers
• Jordan Price is currently third in the nation in scoring at 25.9 points per game (as of 12/10). He is second in the Atlantic 10 behind Jack Gibbs of Davidson (26.7). Price is second in the A-10, and ninth nationally, in three-point field goals per game (3.86). 

• Price needs only 106 points to reach 1,000 for his collegiate career. He scored 145 points at Auburn and has 749 as an Explorer.

• Price is the reigning Big 5 Player of the Week after averaging 28.0 ppg. in two games versus Hofstra and Drexel last week.

• La Salle will play its next two games versus teams ranked in the polls #9/6 Villanova and #17/20 Miami. It will be the first time playing ranked foes in two straight games since beating #9 Butler and #19 VCU on January 23-26, 2013. 

• La Salle has made a three-point basket in 785 consecutive games, which is the 13th longest streak in the nation. 

• La Salle's last game was against an opponent returning from Alaska (Drexel) and today's game is against an opponent returning from Hawaii (Villanova).

La Salle-Villanova Connections
Villanova junior Darryl Reynolds and La Salle junior B.J. Johnson were teammates at Lower Merion High School. During Reynolds senior year and Johnson's junior year they led Lower Merion to the Pennsylvania Class AAAA state championship.
Johnson scored eight points, pulled down eight rebounds and added four assists during his senior season as Lower Merion grabbed a 61-35 victory over Great Valley and Mikal Bridges who was a sophomore at a time. Bridges is now a redshirt freshman guard for the Wildcats. Johnson and Bridges also played for the same AAU program, Team Final, just one age group apart.

Wildcats assistant coach Ashley Howard spent four years as an assistant under Dr. John Giannini at La Salle from 2004-2008.

Villanova freshman Jalen Brunson and La Salle junior Hank Davis are childhood friends from growing up together in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Nova head coach Jay Wright (Hofstra) and Giannini (Maine) coached against each other while in the America East Conference from 1996-97 to 2000-01.

Scouting the Wildcats
-Villanova enters the weekend coming off its first loss of the season, 78-55, to No. 6 Oklahoma in Hawaii as part of the Pearl Harbor Invitational on Monday. 

-The Wildcats have been tough defensively limiting opponents to just 58.9 points per contest which is the ninth lowest in the nation. They have also only allowed opponents to shoot 36% against them which ranks seventh in the country.   

-Villanova has taken care of the ball this season with a turnover margin of 6.5 which ranks fifth nationally.

-Junior Josh Hart leads the team averaging 14.63 points per contest which is tied for ninth best in the Big East. He has been efficient all season with a field-goal percentage of 46.8% entering the contest.   

-Senior Daniel Ochefu has been a force on the boards all season. The 6-11 forward averages 8.00 rebounds per contest which ranks him sixth in the Big East.

Up Next
The Explorers return after a nine day break for finals when they host #17/20 Miami at The Palestra with tip slated for 5 p.m. and national TV coverage on CBSSN. Tickets are available by visiting www.goexplorers.com/buytickets.