Men's Basketball | March 12, 2019

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - La Salle and Rhode Island will meet for the second time this season in the Second Round of the 2019 Atlantic 10 Tournament on Thursday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., and the game will air live on NBC Sports Network. The contest will serve as the first of four second-round matchups on Thursday, with the winner of the game advancing to face top-seeded VCU in the quarterfinals on Friday.

SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND
•Rhode Island enters the A-10 Tournament having won four straight games, the second-longest current streak (VCU - 12) in the league.
•Two of those wins came in overtime, with the Rams edging both Dayton (72-70) and Saint Joseph's (86-85) in road matchups.
•Jeff Dowtin leads a trio of players in double figures at 15.3 points per game. Cyril Langevine (14.6 ppg) and Fatts Russell (14.6 ppg) are the other two members of the big three.

THE START OF A NEW SEASON...
•All 14 Atlantic 10 teams will have the slates wiped clean beginning Wednesday, when the Atlantic 10 Tournament begins in Brooklyn, N.Y.
•La Salle is seeded ninth for the second time in its history. The Explorers went 1-1 in their lone conference tournament as a No. 9 seed, defeating Massachusetts, 76-69, in the second round before falling to top-seeded Davidson by just one point at Barclays Center back in 2015.
•Overall, La Salle has played in the 8-9 game five times, owning a 2-3 record.

La Salle Conference Tournament History
Atlantic 10 Tournament Record    11-21
Record in A-10 Tournament Opening Round    1-1
Record in A-10 Tournament Second Round    9-9
Record in A-10 Tournament Quarterfinals    1-10
Record in A-10 Tournament Semifinals    0-1
Record in A-10 Tournament Finals    0-0

History vs. Rhode Island in A-10 Tournament (0-3)
2004 Opening Round (at UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio)    L, 55-42
1999 Quarterfinals (at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa.)    L, 83-58
1996 First Round (at Phila. Civic Center, Philadelphia, Pa.)    L, 85-59
All-Time Conference Tournament Record - 48-36 (9 Titles)*
* Includes MCC (1993-95), MAAC (1984-92), ECC (1975-83) and MAC (1967-74)

La Salle in Atlantic 10 Tournament - 8 vs. 9 Game
2004 - #8 La Salle 86, #9 Fordham 67 (Philadelphia, Pa. • The Spectrum)
2009 - #9 Saint Louis 62, #8 La Salle 60 (OT) (Atlantic City, N.J. • Boardwalk Hall)
2014 - #9 St. Bonaventure 82, #8 La Salle 72 (Brooklyn, N.Y. • Barclays Center)
2015 - #9 La Salle 76, #8 Massachusetts 69 (Brooklyn, N.Y. • Barclays Center)
2017 - #9 Davidson 82, #8 La Salle 73 (Pittsburgh, Pa. • PPG Paints Arena)

POOKIE'S LAST GO 'ROUND
•Graduate student Pookie Powell is now in his sixth year of collegiate basketball, having played the last three seasons for the Explorers.
•Over the course of his career, Powell has scored 1,338 points including his year of play at Memphis and has registered 1,221 at La Salle.
•Powell's point total in an Explorer uniform places him 36th overall and 12th among players who played three years for the Explorers.
•The 6-0 guard also has a career 83.0 free throw percentage while at La Salle, which placed his third among players who have made 200 or more free throws in a career.

Pookie Powell on La Salle's All-Time Scoring List 
29. Mike Gizzi (1994-98) - 1,319
30. Jermaine Thomas (2002-06) - 1,273
31. Charlie Wise (1972-76) - 1,245
32. Norm Grekin (1950-53) - 1,243
33. Mo Connolly (1976-80) - 1,232
34. Bernie Williams (1966-69) - 1,230
35. Chip Greenberg (1982-86) - 1,227
36. Pookie Powell (2016-19) - 1,221