The redshirt sophomore, who sat out all of last season after transferring from Auburn, would tally 15 second half points, as the Explorers closed in on the Cavaliers late in the game.
In the end, eighth-ranked Virginia would hang on, handing La Salle a 64-56 loss, its first of the season, but not before the Explorers proved they are not to be taken lightly.
Virginia would start the game off strong, quickly taking a 13-2 lead, as the Explorers were outmatched early. The Cavaliers would continue to dominate in the first half, taking a 37-19 lead to the locker room at the Barclays Center.
Things would get worse for the Explorers before they would get better, as forward Jerrell Wright picked up his fourth foul just 2:51 into the second half.
With Wright on the bench, the Cavaliers would stretch their lead to as much as 20, but the Explorers were not ready to call it a night just yet.
La Salle would begin to chip away at Virginia’s lead, utilizing a 10-0 run to pull within 49-41.
“I don’t think anything really changed,” Price said. “We just came out more aggressive and then we played more of a four-guard offense, because Jerrell [Wright] and Steve [Zack] were in foul trouble.”
Virginia would again stretch their lead to 13, but the Explorers would continue to apply pressure late, going on an 11-2 run to close within four with just 1:12 remaining.
Price’s 15 second half points would key the La Salle surge, but Virginia would manage to hold on in the end, prevailing 64-56 over the Explorers.
“We’ve been grinding out the whole season for this moment. This is nothing that’s new to us,” Price said. “We knew when we were down 20 that we were going to fight back and we kept hitting and hitting. We made a run in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.”
By: Kyle Babcock
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