Quick Report: La Salle 89, Drexel 78

Jordan Price (above) and La Salle evened their record at 2-2 with a win at Drexel on Sunday. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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A hot-shooting La Salle squad came into the Daskalakis Athletic Center and ran host Drexel out of the building, with redshirt seniors Cleon Roberts and Jordan Price leading the way in a 89-78 Explorer win.

At First…
La Salle (2-2) opened up the Drexel defense by attacking the rim and feeding the post, then took advantage of that to bomb away from long distance. The Explorers connected on six of their first seven 3-point attempts of the game, taking the lead on a B.J. Johnson triple 38 seconds into the action to set the tone. The first double-digit lead came on a Cleon Roberts 3-pointer eight minutes in, and after Drexel (2-4) answered with a Mohamed Bah layup, the Explorers ripped off 12 straight to go up 36-16 seven minutes before the break.

Turning Point…
La Salle’s 17-point halftime lead didn’t waver over the first eight minutes of the second half, growing to as many as 23 on a Roberts 3-pointer with 12:27 remaining. Drexel freshman sensation point guard Kurk Lee Jr. wasn’t ready to give up the game just yet, knocking down two 3-pointers to kick off a 12-0 run that made it a 68-57 game with 9:59 to play. But Jordan Price answered with a triple and 3-point play of his own to grow the lead to 17, and the Dragons didn't get closer than 14 again until the final two minutes.

Standout Stars…
Roberts had himself a game from beyond the arc. The redshirt senior guard and team’s second-leading scorer from a year ago, Roberts had been somewhat quiet in the team’s first three contests, averaging 7.7 ppg in 18.7 mpg. But he was en fuego at the DAC, hitting six of his seven of his 3-point attempts en route to a season-high 22 points. Price added 18 on 11 shots, Amar Stukes had 14 and Johnson/Pookie Powell had a dozen each for the Explorers.

Lee continued a stellar start to his Drexel career with 21 points, surpassing the 20-point mark for the second time as he continued his streak of scoring in double figures in each game. The 5-8 point guard was 8-of-15 from the floor, adding in four assists and three rebounds. Sammy Mojica added 15 for the Dragons, including 11 in the second half.

Noteworthy Number(s)...
80.0: With his 6-for-7 showing from beyond the 3-point arc, Cleon Roberts upped his season 3-point shooting percentage to 80.0 (12-of-15). That included a string of 10 straight makes between this game and a loss to Texas Southern last Saturday, and puts him second in the country amongst individuals who've taken more than three 3s per game. He was also 0-for-5 from inside the arc.

5: Drexel forward Rodney Williams was in foul trouble all afternoon long, and the Dragons’ senior eventually fouled out with 6:50 remaining. The 6-7 forward was limited to 19 minutes, scoring seven points and grabbing just two rebounds.

Up Next…
La Salle (2-2) vs. Lehigh (2-3) -- Wed., Nov. 30, 7:00 PM
Drexel (2-4) @ Lafayette (2-3) -- Wed., Nov. 30, 8:00 PM