Queen
City Hosts Get By Weary Explorers
3/10/05 by Hoops Tick
Tired Explorers Lose Battle Against Xavier Musketeers.
Jermaine Thomas scorched Xavier for 25 points
and 3 rebounds. Steven Smith scored 20 points,
9 boards, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists. Mike St.
John contributed 7 points and 10 boards. Tabby
Cunningham had 10 points and 6 assists. Darnell
Harris had 8 points.
The team finishes at 10-19 in coach John Giannini
first season with a 83-70 loss to the tournament hosts in a
game played in Cincinnati's downtown arena. That is an excellent
record for a team that was hurt by the loss of 3 former players
(due to their conduct) and then 2 more players to injury including
Sherman Diaz who would have really helped the
Explorers today.
If Steven Smith returns as expected and coach Giannini is able
to bring in 4 quality recruits, the Explorers could make some
serious noise next season.
Explorers
Celebrate Groundhog Day Again
3/9/05
by Hoops Tick
Explorers
Win 10th Game of Season in Lappas' Last A10 Game.
The
La Salle Explorers knew they should have beaten UMass earlier
in the season. Today they proved they could with a 70-64 overtime
win. The Explorers also most assuredly sealed the fate of UMass
coach Steve "Groundhog" Lappas. Lappas
is not likely to return to UMass. The Explorers won their first
game of the A10 tourney as they have done in 4 of the last 5
years. Major credit is due to coach John Giannini
and his staff.
A10 Player of the Year Steven Smith had a game
high 19 points to go with 7 boards in 38 minutes. Steven missed
the last 6 minutes of the contest, including all of the overtime,
with an eye injury. He will be a game time decision but is expected
to play against Xavier.
The rest of the Explorers responded when Smith departed. Jermaine
Thomas (18 points, 4 boards and 6 assists) scored 5
points in overtime. Mike St. John (9 points
and 6 boards) came up with 6 huge points in overtime including
the game clinching free throws with 49 seconds remaining. Tabby
Cunningham had 9 points and 4 assists. Darnell
Harris contributed 15 points and 3 rebounds.
The
10 wins ties last seasons' win total. The
Explorers goal is to win the tournament. 3 wins to go.
Steven
Smith Wins A10 Player of the Year Award
3/8/05
by Hoops Tick
Steven
Smith Shares POY Award with Pat Carroll.
Steven
Smith leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring, with 549 points
averaging 20.3 per game. Smith's A10 statistical dominance
also includes other major categories. He is also third in the
A10 in rebounding at 8.5 per game. He comes in third in free
throw percentage at 79.9 percent. Steven was sixth in steals
at 1.67 per contest.
Despite constant double-teams and even triple-teams, Steven
had an A10-best 14 double figure scoring games, including 7
in A10 play. He also posted 10 double-doubles, 8 against Atlantic
10 opponents. He is the first La Salle player to earn Player
of the Year honors since the Explorers joined the A-10 10 years
ago. Steven is the first Explorer to win conference player of
the year since Lionel Simmons in 1990.
Next
season Steven has a chance to become the National Player of
the Year.
The
A10 coaches decided that Pat Carroll of Saint
Joe's also deserves a share of the honor. Carroll is the A-10's
all-time leader in career three-point field goal percentage
leading the league again this year.
Explorers Spotted Owls 7 Point Halftime Lead, Fail To Recover
3/5/05
by Hoops Tick
Explorers Trailed 34-27 at Half, Fall 73-67 despite 20-20
from Smith and Thomas.
Probable A10 Player of the Year Steven Smith
finished with 20 points and 6 boards while Jermaine
Thomas ended with 20 points and 5 boards but it was
not enough.
Darnell
Harris went cold in the second half but did finish
with 15 points and 6 boards. Tabby Cunningham
had some costly second half turnovers but did contribute 9
assists and 3 points. Mike St. John added
9 points and 7 boards.
Hopefully
this was one of the last A10 games for the awful ref Eugene
Crawford. Crawford continued making
incorrect calls throughout the game for both teams. Bill
McCarthy and Terry Murphy were the other
2 refs. However, Temple was only whistled for 7 fouls the entire
game!!!
Explorers
"All For Win" Against Musketeers
02/27/05
by Hoops Tick
Explorers
Block Xavier Musketeers Chance to Win A10 West with 53-52 Overtime
Victory.
The
Explorers made critical stops at the end of regulation and overtime
to preserve a hard-fought victory over the pesky Xavier team.
The A10 leader for Player of the Year, Steven Smith
(13 points, 10 boards, 3 blocks, 3 assists), blocked two shots
in the last 5 seconds of regulation. Lewis Fadipe
came up huge with two blocks in the last 9 seconds of overtime.
This payback against Xavier was long overdue as the Musketeers
had somehow manage to win 10 straight over the Explorers.
The Explorers played great team ball. Jermaine Thomas
pumped in 16 points. Mike St. John
added 12 points, 4 boards and 2 steals. Tabby
Cunningham and Darnell Harris played
excellent defense and scored 5 points each. Sean Neal
had 3 steals to go with 2 points.
Walk-on
Matt Smith, the only Explorer senior, was honored
with a start by coach John Giannini on Senior
Day. Matt
played the first minute.
The
Explorers avoided a 20 loss season with the win today. Most
"experts" thought that it was a given after the incidents
of this past summer. In 73 seasons of recorded history La Salle
only has three 20 loss seasons including last season.
Up next is Temple minus the suspended John Chaney
on Saturday.
Explorers
Fail to Beat Dukes, Eugene Crawford and Ray Perrone
2/23/05
by Hoops Tick
Bizarre Communication with Players, Incorrect
Calls and Taking Away of Legitimate Basket Scored After a Missed
Free Throw Allows Duquesne to Steal Momentum and the Game.
Atlantic
10 Commisioner Linda Bruno deserves to be criticized
publicly after the poor officiating we have witnessed all season
long. None worse then the last two nights (Saint Joe's was allowed
illegal moving picks all game against Temple last night - more
on that later). Tonight, we witnessed the worst officiating
at any level of basketball.
With
12:11 remaining in the second half Jermaine Thomas
had just converted a two point basket and was fouled. Everyone
in the building except for Eugene Crawford
knew it was for one foul shot. Apparently Crawford said "two
shots" to Duquesne's Kieron Achara before giving Thomas
the ball. Thomas missed the foul shot but teammate Mike
St. John grabbed the rebound, dribbled around the defender
and scored 2 points putting La Salle ahead by 9 points at 57-48.
Duquesne head coach Danny Nee complained so
Crawford compounded his error and took the 2 points St. John
scored off the scoreboard! Duquesne gained the momentum and
ultimately stole the game.
Next, Crawford decided to call A10 POY leading candidate Steven
Smith for an intentional foul (foul shots plus possesion)
at a critical stage of the game. Smith should have been whistled
for the foul but everyone was stunned that Crawford called it
intentional.
However, Mr. Crawford continued his poor officiating later in
the second half. Jack Higgins of Duquesne was
rolling on the floor with the ball, an obvious travel call,
but nothing was called until 3 seconds after Smith had taken
the ball away and started on a fast break. Crawford then blew
his whistle and called a "jump ball". Even the Duquesne
crowd looked bewildered at the call. One of the other 2 officials
should have called Higgins for the travel, Ray Perrone's
whistle was silent. The A10 allowed Perrone to officiate in
this game after his bogus offensive foul call with 30 seconds
to go against Smith in the previous meeting against Duquesne
at Gola Arena. Jackie Sanders was the other
official.
Jermaine Thomas had a career game by pounding
the Dukes for 33 points. Smith had 22 points but struggled at
the end of the game (fatigue plus a couple of calls that he
did not get really hurt La Salle). Tabby
Cunningham only played 10 minutes as he injured his
left knee in the first half. La
Salle ended up losing 77-72.
Notes from
Saint Joe's vs. Temple game... Temple Coach John Chaney
screamed at Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno. He yelled
that he never wanted to see referee Jim Burr
again and demanded Big Ten or ACC officials be used in all future
games. "I don't want to see them." Chaney screamed
as he went into Temple's media room. Chaney said he was fed
up with all the refs in the A10. "I try to play it right,
but no more," said Chaney, who is a Hall of Fame coach.
Chaney is not always right in his decisions but he does know
poor refs.
Linda Bruno
could only say "We'll get a tape of the game and look at
it." Which many translate as, "I don't care, we are
not going to fix the officiating mess that we have created."
We,
at LaSalle-Explorers.com, have been complaining about specific
refs for very specific incidents for the past 3 years and none
of the refs with consistent poor performance have been removed
from the A10 rotation. We are certainly not going to
stop reporting. In fact, a report card for
each official will be presented to Ms. Bruno.
If
you ever want the officiating in the A10 to improve, today is
the day to contact the A10 offices and complain. The address
is: 230 S. Broad Street, Suite 1700 Philadelphia,
PA 19102
Explorers
Extend Minutemen Additional 5 Minutes But Fall
2/19/05
by Hoops Tick
Explorers
Deserved Better Outcome in 69-66 Loss to UMass.
Jermaine
Thomas and Darnell Harris each scored
18 points but it was not enough to get the Explorers a victory.
Jermaine hit a clutch 3 pointer with 59 seconds
left to send the game into overtime.
Steven Smith was held (and knocked down) to 12 points.
Smith has not gotten the obvious calls for
being run into and knocked over in the lane. There were 2 non-calls
late in the second half that ultimately cost the Explorers a
victory. In particular, ref Frank Scagliotta
made at least 6 wrong decisions (some were overturned by refs
Ron Tyburski and Earl Walton).
Scagliotta had the best views on the non-calls involving Smith.
Every A10 player, let alone the leading candidate for A10 Player
of the Year, except for Smith has gotten the "benefit"
of these calls. The overall A10 officiating in the past 2 weeks
has gotten slightly better with more communication between refs
but Smith has not been given the obvious calls especially in
the home games at Gola Arena.
Maurice Maxwell had 17 points for UMass.
Up
next is Duquesne on Wednesday.
Explorers Rough Up Rhodey Rams
02/15/05
by Hoops Tick
La
Salle Earns First Ever Win at Rhode Island 73-63.
The
Explorers are becoming road warriors as they have now won 3
A10 road contests (most ever). Three time A10 player of the
week Steven Smith scored 21 points and accumulated
11 boards. The injured Jermaine Thomas played
and contributed 18 points and 4 rebounds off the bench. Darnell
Harris pumped in 15 points. Tabby Cunningham
added 12 points to go with 6 assists.
The
Explorers improved to 8-15 on the season (4-8 in A10). The win
moved the Explorers into 5th place in the West division. La
Salle won the game despite the presence of ref Reggie
Greenwood.
Up
next is UMass and what should be Steve Lappas'
last visit to the Gola on Saturday.
Explorers
Fail to Elevate to Flyers Level
02/12/05 by Hoops Tick
Jermaine Thomas Injury Prevents Explorers
From Beating Dayton.
The Explorers already were down
to 7 scholarship players before Jermaine Thomas
left the game after 7 minutes with a hand injury. Jermaine's
status will not be known until Monday. The Explorers kept Dayton
within striking distance by forcing 20 turnovers. The first
half ended with a Darnell Harris bucket that
pulled the Explorers with 4 at 26-22.
The Explorers needed to keep the momentum of the last 2 victories
and come out on fire and put Dayton away early. Instead, the
Explorers allowed Dayton to come in and dictate play in the
opening minutes. Steven
Smith pumped in 21 points. Darnell Harris had 13 points.
It was a very disappointing afternoon overall. The final score
was 56-45.
Rhode Island is up next on Tuesday.
Explorers
Squash Itsy Bitsy Spiders
02/09/05
by Hoops Tick
Mike St. John's Career Best Effort Gives
Explorers Huge Road Win.
The Explorers did not have a
good start to the game as they trailed 19-9. The offense then
caught fire under the leadership of Mike St. John
who had a career best 14 points, 15 boards and 3 steals. This
was the Explorers first ever win at the Robbins Center and improves
their record to 7-14 (3-7 in A10) and ended Richmond's 5 game
winning streak. The Explorer win knocked Richmond out of a first
place tie with GW and brought the Explorers to within half a
game of 5th place Duquesne in the A10 West standings. The final
score was 76-68.
La Salle led by 38-34 at the half and started the second half
with a Tabby Cunningham 3 pointer. Richmond
cut the lead down to 48-44 with 14 plus minutes remaining but
the Explorers went on an 11-0 run and Richmond never got closer
then 3 points the rest of the way.
The other Explorers played a good team game. Steven
Smith also had a big game with 22 points and 9 boards.
A10 Comeback Player of the Year Leader Jermaine Thomas
(suffered from affects of Graves Disease last season) made some
key baskets as he poured in 17 points. Darnell Harris,
with 14 points, hit clutch free throws down the stretch. Tabby
Cunningham contributed 5 points and 7 assists.
It was a great effort by the coaches, especially coach John
Giannini, to get the team ready to play with only 2
days to prepare.
Up next is a very beatable Dayton squad on Saturday at Gola
Arena. The game will be televised on A10-TV network. The easier
part of the schedule is approaching, hopefully the Explorers
will take advantage.
Explorers
Take Extra Time to Capture Rams
02/06/05
by Hoops Tick
Explorers
Topple Fordham Rams 90-88 in a Shooting Exhibition
The
good news is that La Salle shot 47% from the field. The bad
news was that they allowed Fordham to shoot 49% from the field.
However, La Salle made 75% of its' free throws while Fordham
could only convert 47% of theirs.
The Explorers starting 5 were the offensive heroes: Steven
Smith (24 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists), Jermaine
Thomas (23 points, 6 boards and 4 assists), Darnell
Harris ( 17 points, 6 boards), Mike St. John
(13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists), and Tabby Cunningham
(6 assists and 4 points).
Fordham
fought back from a 10 point second half deficit and then a 5
point deficit late in the second half to force the overtime
session. Marcus
Stout and Jermaine Anderson scored 21 points each for Fordham.
Darnell
Harris scored 7 of his points in overtime to spark the Explorers
in the extra session.
The
officiating was respectable mainly due to the fact that Tim
Higgins adjusted a couple of incorrect calls by Ed
Corbett and Robert Donato. Tim, one
of the best refs in all of Division I, is concerned with making
the correct call and will call over the refs to adjust their
call if he has a better angle. This communication is
something the other refs in the A10 need to learn if the officiating
is ever going to improve. Communication is essential
among the officials in order to ensure the integrity of the
game.
Explorers
Poor Shooting Kills Chance for Easy Win
02/02/05 by Hoops Tick
Smith and Explorers Shoot 31.5% Giving Xavier
Musketeers the Game.
The final score was 62-50 but
if La Salle connects on 40% of shots from the field then they
win easily. Steven Smith scored 19 points to
go with 11 boards, 2 assists, 1 block and zero turnovers. Darnell
Harris had a great first half and finished with 13
points. The rest of the team did not play well.
Coach G has to figure out a way to keep Fordham
winless in Philadelphia on Sunday. Ever
since joining the A10, Fordham has never won a game in Philadelphia.
There were no major officiating errors which is something we
will be watching for the remainder of the season.
Explorers
Fail To Beat Dukes and Ray Perrone
01/29/05
by Hoops Tick
Steven
Smith's Go-Ahead Basket and a Foul Wiped Away by Official Perrone
with 22 seconds Remaining.
Atlantic
10 Player of the Year candidate Steven Smith
drove to the basket, scored and was fouled on the play to put
the Explorers ahead 69-68 with a chance to go to line for a
two point advantage. But ref Ray Perrone somehow
called it an offensive foul on Smith. The other 2 refs, Ken
Clark and Joe Townsell, had the chance
to overturn the mistake but failed to do so. Even the Duquesne
players were in shock at the call. Doctor G and the fans were
furious. Smith had 19 points and 10 boards in what could have
been an Explorer victory.
The Duquesne Dukes walked away with a 72-67 gift win.
The Explorers battled all afternoon. Darnell Harris
scored 20 points with 5 boards. Jermaine Thomas
had 8 points and 3 assists. Tabby Cunningham
added 7 points and 6 assists.
The
Atlantic 10, under the direction of Linda Bruno,
has done a very poor job of keeping its' refs honest and calling
games fairly. For the second straight game, the officials made
bad calls against the Explorers in the last 30 seconds. This
time it was the cocky Ray Perrone (who slapped the previous
coach with an unwarranted technical in Rhode Island 2/12/03).
Yes, we do keep track of the poor officiating incidents at LaSalle-Explorers.com
and we name names. It is time for Bruno to either take action
or to resign as commisioner. It is time for the Explorer faithful
to write the A10 office and demand action. The corruption has
to stop.
What has AD Tom Brennan done to stop the refs from making these
bad calls on the Explorers HOME COURT?
Explorers
Allow Richmond to Steal Game
1/26/05
by Hoops Tick
Explorers Led by 8 with 8 Minutes Remaining.
Despite a double-double
performance by leading A10 Player of the Year candidate Steven
Smith (19 points, 13 rebounds), La Salle lost to a
very beatable Richmond Spiders squad 78-71. La Salle held a
one point advantage at 71-70 with 1:36 remaining. Mike
St. John (7 points, 8 boards) had just converted a
layup and was fouled. He missed the free throw and Richmond
went on to score the final 8 points to close out the game.
The Explorers defensive intensity in the final 90 seconds was
lacking. Even though Richmond was helped by some questionable
officiating in the final 5 minutes, the Explorers should have
been able to put Richmond away in the final 2 minutes.
Jermaine Thomas chipped in with 16 points.
Darnell Harris missed a few shots he normally
converts (13 points on 4 for 14 from the field, just 2 for 11
from beyond the arc). Tabby Cunninghham had
5 assists and 11 points.
This team does not have the luxury of giving away games. Winning
games this year will build confidence for next season.
Saturday is a
must win game against Duquesne.
Explorers Nearly Bring Down Flyers
1/22/05
by Hoops Tick
Steven Smith and Jermaine Thomas Bring Explorers
Back Before Falling.
The Dayton Flyers won 66-58 but
the Explorers never quit. In fact, if Darnell Harris
(8 points on 3 for 12 shooting) had a better shooting night,
the Explorers could have beaten Dayton. Steven Smith
knocked down 19 points to go with 9 boards and 3 steals. Jermaine
Thomas had a big night with 20 points, 3 boards and
a block. Mike St. John
added 5 boards and 6 points.
Some freshman for Dayton named Norman Plummer
(9 point per game average) hit his first 10 shots and ended
up with 24 points for the game. Junior Monty Scott
(12 point per game average) scored 25 points. Both players shot
10 for 13 from the field, a career best for both. Crazy and
unbelievable circumstances continue to haunt the Explorers.
Up next is Richmond on Wednesday.
Explorers
Fade Late Against Colonials
1/19/05 by Hoops Tick
Explorers Trailed 39-34 at the
Half but Faded in Last 8 Minutes of Game.
The
George Washington Colonials may have been surprised by La Salle's
agressiveness in the first half. Tabby Cunningham
and Darnell Harris both had an outstanding
first half. In the end, Top 25 caliber GW outlasted the Explorers
84-66. Tabby finished with 9 points, 6 assists and Darnell had
a career best 21 points. Jermaine Thomas added
15 points and Steven Smith, feeling much better
after a battle with the flu, scored 14 points to go with 9 boards.
The Explorers had cut the deficit to 53-50 but got no closer
as
GW had all the answers. Senior TJ Thompson
led the Colonials with 18 points.
In what has become a very bizarre circumstance, it was announced
before the game, Roman Narmbaye has negotiated
with coach John Giannini a settlement that
he will not be playing in any games until he feels better. The
injury to Roman occurred over 18 months ago and it appears that
Roman is afraid to play with the pain that accompanies this
type of injury. Very strange and very unfortunate on a team
that needs him to play right now.
A trip to Dayton is up next on Saturday.
Sickening Loss to Hawks
1/15/04
by Hoops Tick
Steven Smith Played Despite Having the Flu as
Explorers Suffer 73-38 loss to Big 5 Rival.
This was a game La Salle could
have won at full strength and if they played man to man defense
instead of zone defense. Instead, Steven Smith
played while still recovering from the flu and coach John
Giannini inexplicably played zone for most of the game.
Smith was only able to score 9 points on 4 for 20 shooting.
And Pat Caroll, Saint Joe's only real offensive
threat had wide open looks against a zone defense and torched
La Salle for 23 points. Caroll hit on 6 of 10 shots from beyond
the arc.
None of the other Explorers picked up Smith's points. Mike
St. John had 9 points and 3 boards but fouled out after
only 23 minutes.
Worse news is that Sherman Diaz will miss 4
to 8 weeks with a groin injury.
The Explorers will have to wait until next year to avenge the
last couple of meetings against Phil Martelli and the hated
Hawks.
Explorers
Take Extra Time to Capture Golden Panthers
1/11/05
by Hoops Tick
Overtime
Thriller Provides La Salle with 74-72 Win Over Florida International
Golden Panthers
It
was a good team effort for the Explorers. Steven Smith
contributed 22 points and 8 boards to go along with 4 assists
and a blocked shot. Tabby Cunningham, who played
great in overtime, had a career best 17 points to go along with
4 assists. Darnell Harris had a good effort
with 15 points and 3 rebounds in 44 minutes. Jermaine
Thomas added 9 points. La Salle shot 46% from the field
and 84% from the line.
The
Explorers were up by 3 with 6.5 seconds left in regulation.
However, Florida International forced the overtime by a gift
call from the refs as senior guard Junior Matias sank 3 free
throws at the end of regulation. The Explorers' Tabby Cunningham
took over in overtime with a 3 pointer then he made a driving
layup and finally a steal and a bucket to seal the win.
The
Explorers have won 4 of their last 5 games improving to 5-8.
The Explorers look forward to their next game. Big 5 and Atlantic
10 foe Saint Joe's is up next on Saturday at 2pm.
Explorers Beat the Bonnies
01/08/05 by Hoops Tick
Jermaine Thomas Provides the Spark to a 68-57
Win Over Saint Bonaventure
Jermaine Thomas
shot 6 for 13 from the field and a perfect 5 for 5 from the
charity stripe to help secure La Salle's first victory in Olean
since 4 visits ago. Jermaine's 18 points, 2 steals and 3 assists
were important in getting the team to .500 in the Atlantic 10
(1-1).
Steven Smith had 18 points, 2 blocks and 13
rebounds and was instrumental in a second half run that helped
secure the victory. Mike St. John also contributed
with 9 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in 27 minutes. Tabby
Cunningham is starting to reach the necessary comfort
level in running the team as he dished out 6 assists, grabbed
5 boards and scored 9 points in 26 minutes.
The Explorers improved their record to 4-8 and have won 3 of
the last 4 games. The Explorers host Florida International on
Tuesday.
Ugly
Effort Against GW
1/05/05 by Hoops Tick
Explorers Fail to Keep Up with #24 George
Washington Colonials
Steven Smith scored a game high
23 points and Jermaine Thomas added 12 points.
Darnell Harris and the rest of the team were
very cold from the field. La Salle shot just 27% from the field
and tallied just 42 points while allowing GW to score 71 on
40% shooting.
This marked the opening of the A10 season for
both teams. The Smith Center has been a very difficult place
to play for the Explorers. La Salle will be looking forward
to Saturday's game against Saint Bonaventure.
Explorers
Provide Happy Ending to 2004
by
Hoops Tick 12/31/04
Explorers Earn 72-58 Victory Over Mount
Saint Mary's Mountaineers
La Salle put together its' first
winning streak of the season. Steven Smith
led the way with 26 points, 8 boards and 5 assists. Darnell
Harris had another awesome outing in scoring 12 points
and grabbing 3 rebounds in 21 minutes. Jermaine Thomas
(11 points) had an awesome defensive game with 3 steals and
4 defensive rebounds. Sherman Diaz tossed a
perfect game from the field (5 for 5 on field goals) in contributing
11 points off the bench. The Explorers shot a sizzling 47.5%
from the field.
It is exciting to see that the players are playing
team defense and the offense is much more cohesive since the
start of the season. This is important since the A10 conference
schedule starts next week.
Top 25 ranked George Washington is next on the schedule Wednesday.
Team Defensive Effort Provides Second Win
12/28/04
by Hoops Tick
Explorers
Rally for 66-53 Win Against American
Steven
Smith provided the spark that the Explorers needed
in the second half. Smith, who won the A10 and Big 5 Player
of the Week Awards last week, pumped in 28 points to go along
with 11 boards and 3 assists. With the Explorers trailing by
12, Steven took the team on his back offensively and scorched
the Eagles for 22 second half points. Steven reached 1,000
points in scoring for his career as an Explorer.
La Salle played excellent team defense by only allowing American
to score a single field goal in the last 7:54 of the second
half. Tabby Cunningham only had 2 turnovers
to go along with 2 assists, 2 steals and 6 points in 25 minutes.
Darnell Harris contributed 16 points and had
3 steals, 4 rebounds and a block. Sean Neal
tossed a perfect game from the field (3 for 3) had 2 assists
and a steal. Mike St. John had 9 rebounds.
Jermaine Thomas returned to action and scored
8 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
The
Explorers travel to Mount Saint Mary's for a Friday afternoon
game.
Explorers
Force #16 Bearcats To Stumble, Not Fall
12/22/04
by Hoops Tick
Smith
and Explorers Force Cincy Out of Hibernation in 84-63 Loss
Blizzard
conditions outside brought the Explorers into a heated contest
in the Shoemaker Center against the host Bearcats.
Steven
Smith mauled Cincy for a career-best 35 points
to go along with 7 boards and 2 steals. Darnell
Harris stepped up with a career-best 19 points
on 6 for 10 shooting.
The
Explorers led for over half of the first half. At the 9:52
mark, La Salle led 20-17 but Cincy went on a 12-0 run. The
Explorers battled back to a 38-31 halftime deficit.
The Explorers entered the game very short-handed. Jermaine
Thomas was injured and did not play. Lewis
Fadipe violated team rules and was suspended for
the game. Tabby Cunningham is still adjusting
to the college game with 9 turnovers and only 4 assists
and zero points in 30 minutes. Sherm Diaz
also struggled offensively with 0 for 3 shooting and zero
points in 29 minutes. More offense is obviously needed from
both Cunningham and Diaz.
The effort was excellent, Doctor G needs
to see this type of performance no matter who the competition
is though. If the team plays like this the rest of the year
then 2005 will be a very happy new year for the Explorers.
Explorers Fail to Beat Rams
12/18/04
by Hoops Tick
Explorers
Tie Score at 38 with 11 Minutes Remaining Before Falling
The Explorers had a 12-5 run to tie the
score at 38-38 with 11 minutes remaining in the game. VCU
scored the next 5 points and La Salle could not recover.
The final score was 63-52 in favor of the VCU Rams.
Darnell
Harris had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in
35 minutes. Steven Smith led all scorers
with 25 points. Smith also cut his turnovers down to 4.
Jermaine Thomas picked up one technical
foul which is more then he scored (zero) in a 0 for 4 shooting
night in 29 minutes.
Nick George led the Rams with 15 points
and eight rebounds.
Doctor G is still fine tuning the lineup
prior to A10 play. La Salle plays its' second high profile
team of the year on Wednesday. This is a tough place to play.
Cincy will be ready.
Explorers Catch Cat Scratch Fever
12/11/04
by Hoops Tick
Explorers
Failure to Rebound and Keep Turnovers Down Costly
This
was a game that the Explorers had a chance to win if they had
not allowed Villanova to get almost every offensive rebound.
Also, the team made unforced turnovers and played without a
rhythm offensively. 20 Turnovers for the Explorers is unacceptable
against any opponent. Allowing Villanova to grab 18 offensive
rebounds was also tough to take. Villanova Wildcats scratched
out a 54-43 win over La Salle.
Villanova shot a horrible 2 for 18 from 3 point distance and
still won the game! Steven Smith led the Explorers
with 19 points. Curtis Sumpter gave the Wildcats 16 points.
Roman
Narmbaye
scored the first 2 points of his career and saw 28 minutes of
action. Roman had 2 rebounds and 2 good blocks also. But it
seemed as if Doctor G was experimenting by
benching Mike St. John (7 minutes and 1 rebound)
for the entire second half. It is usually not a good idea to
experiment in Philly Big 5 games.
Had the Explorers made just 35% of their shots instead of 29%
it would have been a different game. Doctor G and the coaches
have much more work ahead to get this team united and playing
like a cohesive unit with defensive intensity and with purpose
on offense.
Is
anyone else tired of Kale Beers and Steve
Degler complaining about the refs every year? When
will Tom Brennan contact the A10 offices to
have the following refs suspended? Reggie Greenwood,
Ed Corbett, and Joe Lindsay
are the among the worst officials in Division One let alone
the A10. When will someone with pull contact Linda Bruno
about this and demand action? I do not like writing this but
many alums have contacted me about this problem with specific
refs.
No
Defense of No Defense
12/8/04
by Hoops Tick
Bad
Central Conn State Team Shoots 69% in First Half
The
Explorers, playing on their home court, did not play any defense
in a 60-48 loss to a bad team. The Blue Devils were made to
look like Duke in the first half by the poor play of the Explorers.
Steven Smith had the worst game of his college
career in shooting just 2 for 8 for 4 points plus 5 turnovers
in 40 minutes. Jermaine Thomas (14 points and
4 assists), Mike St. John (11 points), Darnell
Harris (9 points) and Tabby Cunningham
(8 points) contributed most of the offense. But the story was
the lack of any defense or defensive intensity. There is never
an excuse for that.
Doctor
G needs to have the team ready to play
defense on Saturday or it could be a very long and painful
day.
Unguarded Begley Beats Explorers
12/04/04
by Hoops Tick
Missed
Opportunity to Beat Quakers by Failure to Defend Tim Begley.
Penn
Wins 78-67 in sloppy game.
This
was a game La Salle should have won. When playing against Penn
there is only player you have to defend. Tim Begley was left for
wide open shots in the second half and he torched the Explorers
for a career best 29 points. He was never knocked down and rarely
had an Explorer within 5 feet of him when taking a shot. Was this
bad coaching or poor execution? You make the other Quakers beat
you. How did this one escape Doctor G?
Steven Smith
(#30) wins the opening tip. Photo
by Hykos1045.
Steven
Smith played well for the Explorers as he scored 24 points.
Jermaine Thomas started off hot but the Explorers
did not get him enough second half touches. Darnell Harris
played well at times. Tabby Cunningham played
out of control at key moments.
It was a disappointing afternoon that should have had a different
ending.
