PHILADELPHIA, December 31, 2011 – With their 73 – 55 win over the Hartford Hawks at the Gola Arena, The La Salle Explorers have won their last nine home games. Coach John Giannini feels the win streak holds great importance for the program.
“It’s a big deal,” Giannini said. “Us and Xavier have the best road record in the Atlantic 10. We’ve had success on the road, but haven’t won at home. You can’t have a high level team and not win at home. This is something we need to accomplish and are making progress with that.”
Late in the first half La Salle took control of the game behind a 17 – 0 run. The Explorers held Hartford scoreless for 8:41 of the half. The run was broken when forward Owen Faulk made two free throws. The next Hartford field goal was at the 54 second mark. The run was fueled by Junior guard Ramon Galloway who scored 10 points in the run. He made 3 three-point shots during that stretch. La Salle took a 33 – 21 lead into halftime. The Explorers put the game away with a 10 – 3 run keyed by 6 points by Sophomore guard Tyreek Duren who scored a game-high tying 19 points. Duren scored 23 in his previous outing.
“I’m just playing my game,” said Duren. “I tried to make sure I pushed the ball the last few games, and as a result things started opening up.”
Galloway also had 19 points and added Freshman forward Jerrell Wright scored 7 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds. Turnovers were critical as La Salle scored 32 points off 24 Hartford turnovers. Guard Wes Cole led the Hawks with 13 points. Hartford is 0 – 12 and are coached by Saint Joseph’s alum John Gallagher, who was also an assistant coach with La Salle and Penn.
La Salle improves to 10 – 4 on the season. The Explorers start the Atlantic 10 portion of their schedule at home on January 4 against Xavier.
“Long term we want to be in the NCAA Tournament. Short term we want to beat Xavier.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
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