In the first of two matchups this season between Atlantic 10 and City 6 rivals Saint Joseph's and LaSalle, the Hawks took home the win by a score of 75-64. Senior guard Langston Galloway finished with a game high 18 points on 5-12 shooting for the Hawks, and also went 6-6 from the free throw line. Senior forward Ronald Roberts had 15 points on 5-9 shooting, but also played some terrific defense for the Hawks while swatting 3 shots on the day. Five Hawks finished in double figures, with freshman DeAndre Bembry scoring 16 points and junior guard Chris Wilson and senior forward Halil Kanacevic each finishing with 10 points. Kanacevic was also able to contribute more than just his scoring. He grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 6 assists as well, while helping to set up the offense each time down the floor.
Junior forward Jerrell Wright finished with a team high 16 points on 6-14 shooting while also grabbing 15 rebounds. It seemed like the Hawks could not find an answer for Wright all game long. Senior guards Tyreek Duren and Tyrone Garland each contributed 15 points, with Duren also dishing out 5 assists. Being from Philadelphia, Duren and Garland are both well aware of the teams' history with each other and set out to try to defeat their rivals in their last year with LaSalle. Although they did not get the job this time around, they will have another chance later in the season, when the Explorers visit the Hagan Arena in March.
With this win, the Hawks are in great position to secure a place in the NCAA tournament in late March. They were on Joe Lunardi's First Four Out list, but Lunardi mentioned that a win over LaSalle would bring them into Last Four In territory. This would be the Hawks' first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008. They are also looking to fix their Atlantic 10 tournament woes this season, as they haven't won an Atlantic 10 tournament game in 10 years. This year's squad is a very talented and senior heavy squad. If there was a season to end both of these droughts, this would be the season to do so.
For the Explorers, today's loss brings them to 12-12 on the season, and 4-6 in the Atlantic 10. After such a terrific ending last season, they have filed to capitalize on that success. The season isn't over yet, but their best chance to make the NCAA tournament is to win the Atlantic 10 tournament. The next few games should be used to prepare themselves for the tournament and will need to be much more prepared for their next game vs St Joe's.
Next Game:
SJU: Wednesday, February 19 @ Rhode Island 7pm
LaSalle: Wednesday, February 19 @ Dayton 9pm
By: Dan Goggin
With this win, the Hawks are in great position to secure a place in the NCAA tournament in late March. They were on Joe Lunardi's First Four Out list, but Lunardi mentioned that a win over LaSalle would bring them into Last Four In territory. This would be the Hawks' first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008. They are also looking to fix their Atlantic 10 tournament woes this season, as they haven't won an Atlantic 10 tournament game in 10 years. This year's squad is a very talented and senior heavy squad. If there was a season to end both of these droughts, this would be the season to do so.
For the Explorers, today's loss brings them to 12-12 on the season, and 4-6 in the Atlantic 10. After such a terrific ending last season, they have filed to capitalize on that success. The season isn't over yet, but their best chance to make the NCAA tournament is to win the Atlantic 10 tournament. The next few games should be used to prepare themselves for the tournament and will need to be much more prepared for their next game vs St Joe's.
Next Game:
SJU: Wednesday, February 19 @ Rhode Island 7pm
LaSalle: Wednesday, February 19 @ Dayton 9pm
By: Dan Goggin
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