While the Panthers were far from hot shooting in the first half, the Explorers struggled even more. La Salle shot just 34.5 percent in the first half, as Steve Zack led the team with 9 points and 5 rebounds. Tyrone Garland would score 7 first half points on just 3 for 9 shooting, but Tyreek Duren would struggle even more, failing to score at all in the first half.
Northern Iowa would begin to open things up in the second half, leading by as much as 20 at one point. The Explorers managed to shoot at an even worse clip in the second half, falling in the end 65-50.
Nate Buss led all scorers in the game, notching 23 points off the bench for Northern Iowa, while grabbing 12 rebounds as well. Tuttle would finish with 15 for the Panthers, adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Steve Zack led the Explorers on the night, scoring 13 and grabbing 13 boards, but was unable to make up for La Salle's lack of size on the evening, as Jerrell Wright saw sparing minutes with flu-like symptoms. Tyrone Garland finished with 10 points, while Sam Mills and D.J. Peterson added 8 apiece. The Explorers struggles were epitomized on the evening by the shooting of Tyreek Duren, who finished with just 3 points on 1 for 9 shooting, including 0 for 6 from beyond the arc.
The loss drops La Salle to 3-4 on the young season, as they look to be a far cry from the team that made a run to the Sweet 16 just a season ago. Struggling to find a defined leader, the Explorers will need to figure things out very soon if they have any hopes of making a return to the tournament.
La Salle will next face Hartford on December 4, at home.
By: Kyle Babcock
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