Men's Basketball | February 13, 2015

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's basketball team returns home to host Atlantic 10 newcomer Davidson on Saturday afternoon with tip scheduled for 2 p.m. from Tom Gola Arena. It is Big Brother Big Sisters Day with over 60 pairs in attendance. BBBS is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

La Salle Explorers (14-10, 6-5 A-10) vs. Davidson Wildcats (16-6, 7-4 A-10)
Saturday, February 14 | 2 PM | Tom Gola Arena
 
Radio: WNTP 990 AM | Live Audio
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Game Notes
La Salle | Davidson

Last Time Out
Jordan Price became the first Division I player this season to have 34 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists in a game as he lead La Salle to a double overtime 74-69 upset of No. 20/22 VCU on Wednesday night in Richmond. Price hit a three-pointer with 30 seconds left in regulation to send the game into the extra period and went on to score 12 points in overtime to seal the victory. Cleon Roberts and Jerrell Wright each added 12 points in the win while Steve Zack grabbed 12 rebounds. The Explorers limited the Rams to just 30% shooting, including a 3-for-23 performance from three-point range.

All-Time Series
In the only previous meeting, La Salle beat Davidson 84-70 in the 2009 Charleston Classic. Five Explorers finished in double-figures in the win, led by 21 points from Rodney Green. Redshirt sophomore Cleon Roberts faced Davidson three times prior to transferring from Georgia Southern after his freshman season. Roberts helped the Eagles to a 70-57 upset over Davidson in January 2013 thanks to six points, five rebounds and an assist.

Scouting the Explorers
Thanks in part to his 34-point explosion against VCU, sophomore Jordan Price now ranks third in the conference averaging 17.3 points per Atlantic 10 game. Price's 34 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists are the first time in program history a player as recorded a game with at least 34/18/5. Price also leads the conference shooting .839 from the charity stripe.

The Explorers rank third in scoring defense, limiting A-10 teams to 60.1 points per game and a 41.0 shooting percentage, which is fourth in the league. Those numbers go down to 55.7 and 34.9, respectively, in La Salle's six conference wins.  La Salle also limits opponents 21.5 percent shooting from outside in their conference wins.

Steve Zack and Jerrell Wright combine to form one of the more dominant post duos in the Atlantic 10. Zack ranks fourth in the conference by pulling down 9.1 rebounds per conference game, third in defensive rebounds per game (6.5), and fifth in blocks at 1.8 per game. Wright has also been a constant source of scoring and rebounding for La Salle, ranking 12^th in the league with 6.5 rebounds per game and in the top 25 in scoring with 11.8 points per conference game.

Explorer Notes
Jordan Price had 34 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists in a 74-69 2OT win at #20/22 VCU on Feb. 11. A few notes from that game.  
• It is the first 34-18-5 line in Division I this season and just the fourth since 1996-97 (Blake Griffin, Michael Sweetney, Norris Cole).
• The 18 rebounds are the second most by a guard (6-5 or smaller) in Division I this season (Jerome Hill, Gardner-Webb, 20).
• The 34-18-5 line is believed to be the first in school history. Lionel Simmons, Ken Durrett, Michael Brooks all came close. Assists weren't recorded in Tom Gola's era.
• Price scored all 12 points in overtime for the Explorers.
• The 34 points and 18 rebounds were career-highs. It was his first double-double as well.
• In his last four games he is averaging 25.5 ppg. and 8.5 rpg.
• Price was named the "Star of the Night" on ESPN SportsCenter by host Jay Harris.

• La Salle is allowing just 61.3 ppg., which is the best since the 1949-50 Explorers allowed 54.8. 

• With a win today, the senior class will move into a tie with the Class of 2014 with 75 wins. It is the most since the Class of 1993 won 83 games. 

• Jerrell Wright is 10 rebounds short of moving into the top 10 at La Salle in career boards. He has 782 and currently stands in 11th. Walter Sampson (1961-64) had 791. Steve Zack has 734 and is just outside the top 15. 

• La Salle has won four straight games at Gola Arena and five of the last six. Overall, La Salle has won four of five games and five of its last seven.

• Three former athletes and a Dad Vail Champion men's crew will be inducted into the La Salle University Hall of Athletes at a post-game ceremony. Russ Bono '84 (men's soccer), Fred Morris '77 (baseball), Crista Ricketts '07 (women's basketball) and the 1991 Dad Vail Champs (men's rowing) will also be recognized at halftime.

• Today's game matches the two winningest coaches in the A-10 right now in Bob McKillop (488) and Dr. John Giannini (470). 

Scouting the Wildcats
Davidson enters the game coming off back-to-back wins over Duquesne and George Mason. In their first season as a member of the Atlantic 10, the Wildcats currently sit tied for fifth in the league at 7-4 overall.

The Wildcats have been an offensive juggernaut through their first 11 league games. They lead the league in scoring at 76.7 points per league game, three-point percentage (39.0), assists per game (17.0), assist to turnover ratio (1.8), and three-pointers per game (10.3). They also rank second in the conference with a scoring margin of +8.2 points per game.

Senior Tyler Kalinoski has been the catalyst of the Davidson offense, ranking fourth in the conference with 16.6 points per league game and second in the conference with 4.9 assists per game. The senior is tied for second in the conference with 2.6 three-pointers per contest and also leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest (15th in the A-10). Kalinoski also ranks third in the conference by playing 36.8 minutes per game.

Junior Brian Sullivan has aided in the Wildcats offensive production thanks to his 15.3 ppg. Sullivan ranks third in the conference in assists with 4.2 per game while leading the league in three-pointers made per contest with 2.9.

Up Next
La Salle continues its home stand as they host instate rival Duquesne on Wednesday with tip slated for 7 p.m. The game will be produced on the American Sports Network and picked up locally on Comcast SportsNet.