Men's Basketball | February 3, 2017
FAIRFAX, Va. - The La Salle University men's basketball team hits the road for a matchup with George Mason on Saturday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Fans can watch the contest via Facebook Live, which offers a unique interactive experience while watching the game. The contest is also available on regional television via MASN and on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network.
NEWS & NOTES
•Junior B.J. Johnson scored 28 points, including 21 in the second half, to go along with 11 rebounds to lead the Explorers.
•Senior Jordan Price also had a nice night, registering 21 points and five assists while hitting three three-pointers in eight attempts.
•As a team, the Explorers went 24-for-26 from the free-throw line (92.3 percent), marking the third time this season that the team has shot better than 90 percent from the line in a game.
•In the second half, La Salle was able to put together a solid defensive effort that held the Minutemen to 35.5 percent shooting.
•Junior Amar Stukes had 12 points, his third consecutive game in double figures.
•The Explorers are currently one full game out of first place in the Atlantic 10, behind VCU and Dayton. Richmond is a half-game in front at 7-3 while St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island are tied with La Salle in fourth place at 6-3.
•Three of the next four contests for the Explorers will take place away from their home court, including a pair of trips to the state of New York to face Fordham and St. Bonaventure.
•La Salle is a perfect 5-0 against A10 teams at Gola Arena this season, and have averaged 84.2 points over those games.
ALL-TIME SERIES
•In the newest series among Atlantic 10 opponents, La Salle and George Mason have met only three previous times.
•The Patriots have earned wins in two of the three matchups, including the only one contested in Virginia (Jan. 3, 2015; GMU W, 70-62).
•Last season, the Explorers earned a 76-68 victory at Tom Gola Arena on Feb. 27, 2016.
•Jordan Price had a team-high 24 points while Amar Stukes added 12 points, six assists and no turnovers.
SCOUTING GEORGE MASON
•The Patriots enter the game on Saturday with a 14-8 ledger, putting together an impressive 10-3 record during the non-league season.
•During conference play, George Mason has not had two consecutive games of wins or losses and hold a 4-5 mark.
•In their last time out at Saint Louis, the Patriots dropped a double-overtime decision to the Billikens, 76-74.
•Otis Livingston had a team-high 29 points in the outing and ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg.
•Marquise Moore, despite his diminuitive 6-2 stature, is averaging a double-double at 17.4 ppg and 10.5 rpg.
DYNAMIC DUO
•Senior Jordan Price and junior B.J. Johnson have provided an impressive 1-2 punch for the Explorers this year.
•The two players combined to score 49 points on 14-of 27 shooting against UMass on Feb. 1, and shot 7-for-13 from three-point range and a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line.
•Johnson (17.8 ppg) and Price (17.4 ppg) are on pace to become the 10th different set of La Salle teammates to score 500 points in the same season.
•Here's the list of previous duos to have each scored 500+ points in the same season:
1970-71 Bob Fields (605) & Ken Durrett (567)
1974-75 Joe Bryant (632) & Bill Taylor (559)
1983-84 Ralph Lewis (638) & Steve Black (517)
1984-85 Black (552) & Lewis (524)
1986-87 Lionel Simmons (670) & Tim Legler (616)
1987-88 Simmons (792) & Legler (567)
1989-90 Simmons (847) & Doug Overton (551)
1990-91 Overton (558) & Randy Woods (539)
1991-92 Randy Woods (847) & Jack Hurd (559)
2000-01 Rasual Butler (641) & Victor Thomas (571)
2003-04 Steven Smith (512) & Gary Neal (501)
