Zack had 15 points in a necessary win over Hartford (Photo Credit:sideline photos)
Coming off a disappointing finish in the Paradise Jam tournament, the Explorers were in need of a win. La Salle would maintain a lead in the competition versus the Hartford Hawks, and 18-5 run in the second half would bring the team a victory, 75-62.
Tyrone Garland was the top scorer with 17 points, 13 of those coming in the second half.
“Tyrone really played one of his best games since he’s been here,” said Dr. John Giannini.
The coach claimed he feels Garland plays better off the bench when he can utilize his speed to make scoring runs.
Steve Zack was second with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Tyreek Duren scored 10 points and put up three assists. Zack was a big part of the game after Jerrell Wright found himself in foul trouble.
“It’s just part of the offense,” Zack said post-game when asked about his role in the victory. “You do whatever’s working and me and Jerrell both felt we had an advantage down there so we really attacked that.”
Offensively the team struggled from behind the arc shooting 12.5 percent in the first half. But overall shooting from the field was fairly consistent ending at 46 percent. Rohan Brown played an aggressive game tonight demonstrating a lot of energy. He finished the night with seven points, one assist and five rebounds.
On defense La Salle won the battle in rebounds 33-28. This was not the case at the start of the game where the Blue and Gold found themselves out-rebounded in the first half 18-19. What did work for the team tonight was the amount of turnovers. The Explorers only had 10 compared to the Hawks 18.
Still fighting a broken hand Khalid Lewis saw the most play he’s seen all season. In, for a total of 23 minutes the sophomore racked up nine points.
“Khalid got to practice for the second team in seven weeks and we think he’s a big plus for us,” Giannini said. ”We’re going to be a better team as he gets into the flow more.”
The Explorers (4-4) will take on Stony Brook (6-3) on Saturday, December 7 at 11 AM. The game will take place in New York’s Madison Square Garden, as part of the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival.
