Men's Basketball | February 9, 2015

RICHMOND, Va. – The La Salle men's basketball team heads south for a midweek test against No. 20/22 VCU on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with TV coverage available on CBSSN.

La Salle Explorers (13-10, 5-5 A-10) at No. 20/22 VCU Rams (18-5, 8-2 A-10)
Wednesday, February 11 | 7 PM | Siegel Center
 
TV: CBSSN (Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn)
Live Audio | Live Stats 
Live Tweets @GoExplorers | Text Alerts

Game Notes
La Salle | VCU

Last Time Out
Redshirt sophomore Jordan Price scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half on Sunday but the La Salle men's basketball team fell short in a 66-59 loss at Massachusetts at the Mullins Center. The Explorers were able to cut the deficit to four on several occasions in the second half but were unable to make it a one-possession game. Senior Steve Zack grabbed 13 rebounds, his 12th double-digit rebounding game of the season and fifth straight. Junior Khalid Lewis had eight points while senior Jerrell Wright added seven.

All-Time Series
VCU holds a 4-1 edge in the all-time series over La Salle. La Salle's last trip to VCU was a memorable one, defeating the #19/16 Rams, 69-61 on Jan. 26, 2013, just three days after the Explorers beat #9/9 Butler at home. It was a week that propelled the Explorers to the NCAA Tournament and eventual Sweet 16 run.

Scouting the Explorers
Winners of three straight prior to Sunday's loss to UMass, the Explorers are looking to get back on track with just eight games remaining before the Atlantic 10 tournament (March 11-15).  

The Big 5 Player of the Week, Price's performance on Sunday makes him the first Atlantic 10 player with three 30-point games this season and the first Explorer with three 30-point games in a season since Steven Smith did so during the 2005-06 season. The redshirt sophomore is sixth in the A-10 in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game this year.

Khalid Lewis has helped the Explorers win four of their last six games, averaging 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during that stretch. The redshirt junior had five assists in wins over Saint Joseph's and Richmond.

Explorer Notes
• Sophomore Jordan Price has been named the Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week after averaging 21.5 ppg. and 5.5 rpg. in two games last week. He had 30 points at UMass and 13 points vs. Richmond. It is the second time he has earned the award this season. 

• With his 30 points at UMass, Price is the first Atlantic 10 player with three 30-point games this season and the first Explorer with three 30-point games in a season since Steven Smith did so during the 2005-06 season.

• La Salle is allowing just 61.0 ppg., which is the best since the 1949-50 Explorers allowed 54.8. The Explorers rank 55th nationally in scoring defense. 

• La Salle is second in points per game allowed (59.2) in A-10 games. URI is first at 59.0. 

• Jerrell Wright is 13 rebounds short of moving into the top 10 at La Salle in career boards. He has 779 and currently stands in 12th. Albert Butts (1981-84) had 780 and Walter Sampson (1961-64) had 791. Steve Zack has 734 and is just outside the top 15. 

• La Salle's last trip to VCU was a memorable one, defeating the #19/16 Rams, 69-61, on Jan. 26, 2013, just three days after the Explorers beat #9/9 Butler at home. It was a week that propelled the Explorers to the NCAA Tournament and eventual Sweet 16 run.

• Steve Zack has grabbed 60 rebounds in his last five games for an average of 12.0 rpg.

Scouting the Rams
No. 20/22 VCU is looking to rebound from a 73-71 loss at the buzzer to St. Bonaventure on Saturday in the Reilly Center. The Rams have now lost two of three following a 12-game winning streak that spanned from December 13 until a loss to Richmond on January 31.

The Rams are second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring offense, averaging 73.7 points per game this season. Treveon Graham paces VCU with 16.2 points per game although the senior missed Saturday's game with an ankle injury sustained in a win at George Mason on February 4. Junior guard Melvin Johnson adds 13.0 ppg for the Rams.

Defensively, the Rams lead the league in steals (10.1 per game) and are also first with a 6.65 turnover margin.

Up Next
La Salle returns home to face Atlantic 10 newcomer Davidson on Saturday with tip scheduled for 2 p.m. from Tom Gola Arena.