City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
--

La Salle came out firing on all cylinders against one of the Atlantic 10’s best, Rhode Island, and didn’t let go of their early lead to notch a huge road win over the Rams, by a final score of 87-75.

At First…
For the first five minutes or so things were still close, as La Salle held an early 11-9 lead at the 15:09 mark. It was the 18-2 run that followed that really blew things open, as the Explorers found themselves with a dominant 29-11 advantage, still with over seven minutes until the break, after a pair of Amar Stukes free throws.

URI was able to pull within 15 in the remaining minutes of the first, but a strong finish for La Salle that featured a pair of Stukes layups had the visitors on top entering the break by a daunting 43-22 margin.

Turning Point…
La Salle made it clear out of the gates in the second half that they weren’t going to let up, blowing up the game’s largest lead to that point, 54-26, on two more free throws by Stukes at the 16:46 mark.

The Rams fought back to within as few as eleven in the minutes that remained, but ultimately could not overcome their opponents’ explosive start.

Standouts Stars…
Stukes had a phenomenal game for La Salle, leading the way with 22 points. He also added three boards and four assists, all while going an outstanding 13-14 from the free throw line thanks to his ability to attack the rim.

The Rams had a very balanced scoring effort, which was led by Jared Terrell’s 14 points.

Noteworthy Numbers…
1: With the win, La Salle handed Rhode Island its first home loss of the year, dropping their home mark to 8-1.

58: La Salle was incredibly efficient from the field, shooting 26-of-45 for a clip of 58 percent. They were also efficient in the way they capitalized off of turnovers, scoring 20 of their points off of 13 Ram giveaways.

Up Next…
La Salle (8-5, 2-1 A10) vs. George Washington – Sun., Jan. 15 @ 4:30 p.m.
Rhode Island (10-5, 2-1 A10) vs. UMass – Sun., Jan. 15 @ 2:30 p.m.