Men's Basketball | January 6, 2017
PHILADELPHIA - La Salle concludes a quick two-game homestand with an Atlantic 10 matchup against Duquesne on Saturday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at Tom Gola Arena. Tim Neverett and John Griffin will have the call on the American Sports Network. Tickets are available online
here, or by calling 215-951-1999. Fans can listen to an online broadcast of the game as the Voice of the Explorers
Kale Beers takes you through the action on the TuneIn Radio App or Stretch Internet.
NEWS & NOTES
•The Explorers are in the midst of a stretch that will have them playing at Tom Gola Arena five times over a three-week span.
•Senior
Jordan Price led a trio of players in double figures with 16 points as La Salle defeated Saint Louis, 75-54, on Wednesday evening.
•The 21-point margin of victory was the largest for La Salle in an A10 game since defeating Duquesne, 97-64, at home on March 2, 2013.
•Sophomore
Pookie Powell scored 13 points and dished out eight assists while not turning the ball over in 29 minutes of action.
•Powell ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.7, and has compiled 21 assists against just four turnovers over his last four games.
•The Explorers shot just 2-for-14 from three-point range in the first half against the Billikens, but turned that around in the second half with a 7-of-13 (53.8%) performance from deep.
•Junior
Demetrius Henry pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds as La Salle outboarded Saint Louis by a 38-26 margin, their largest margin in a single game this season.
•Starting guards
Pookie Powell,
Amar Stukes and
Cleon Roberts combined for 12 assists and just two turnovers in 80 minutes of game action.
•La Salle is a perfect 7-0 this season when attempting more free throws than its opponent.
SCOUTING DUQUESNE
•The Dukes had a recent four-game winning streak snapped by VCU on Wednesday night.
•Duquesne enters with an 8-7 record overall and a 1-1 mark in A10 action.
•Freshmen have been leading the way for head coach Jim Ferry's team, as Isiaha Mike and Mike Lewis II have won five league Rookie of the Week awards between them.
•Lewis II leads the squad in scoring at 12.8 ppg while Mike is averaging 9.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest.
•In his most recent outing against VCU, a 94-87 loss, Lewis II scored a career-best 23 points.
LIMITING MISCUES
•Through 12 games this season, the point guard tandem of junior
Amar Stukes and sophomore
Pookie Powell has proven to be rock steady.
•The two rank 1-2 in the Atlantic 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio, with Powell leading the league  and ranking second in the country at 4.7.
•Stukes is no slouch at a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is good for 56th nationally.
•Over the past four games, the duo has recorded 37 assists and just eight turnovers (4.6) with each averaging 30.0 minutes played.
SECOND HALF LIFTS LA SALLE PAST SLU
•A seven-point halftime lead quickly jumped to a comfortable margin after intermission for the Explorers on Wednesday against Saint Louis.
•La Salle went on a 10-0 run after the Billikens scored the first point of the half, extending the lead to 43-27 with 17 minutes on the clock.
•A fastbreak dunk from
B.J. Johnson at the 13:40 mark bumped the margin to 21, and the Explorers led by at least 20 the rest of the way.
POOKIE PERFORMING WELL
•Sophomore
Pookie Powell has upped his scoring output and played at a high level in recent weeks.
•The Orlando native is averaging 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals over his last three games while shooting 54 percent from the field and 56 percent from three.
•His outing of 13 points, eight assists, four steals and no turnovers with above 50% shooting against SLU was the first for a Division I player against a like opponent this year.
•Powell had 27 against top-ranked Villanova and has scored 20 or more points in three of his last six games.
•The sophomore transfer is tops in the A10 and second in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (4.7).
