La Salle Explorers hold off the Davidson Wildcats to Win Fifth Straight

The La Salle Explorers opened up play against the Davidson Wildcats with a chance to move into a tie for first place in the Atlantic 10.

The La Salle Explorers were able to jump to their fifth straight win as they held on against the Davidson Wildcats in a home matchup 91-83. Led by 29 points from Jordan Price the Explorers were able to outpace Davidson. The Explorers were also able to snap a four-game losing streak to the Wildcats with this win.

The Davidson Wildcats had the La Salle Explorers number out of the gate going on a 10-2 run to start the game. Against most teams, this would have been enough of an advantage for Davidson to take control of the game but not against these Explorers. Pookie Powell responded with a fast break score to spark the team and Jordan Price took over from there.

By the first Media timeout, the Explorers closed the deficit to four thanks to taking advantage of Davidson turnovers in the early going. La Salle scored eight points off of six turnovers to start the game.

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After these teams got rolling it became a game where defense was optional for each team. There were multiple three-pointers and lead changes but it was the La Salle Explorers that turned the tide in their favor thanks to a 16-2 run to close out the first half with a 40-49 lead. The Explorers were unable to stop the combination of Jack Gibbs and Peyton Aldridge as they combined for 30 of Davidson’s 40 first half points. Luckily, the Explorers had a weapon of their own, Jordan Price. Price led all scorers with 21 in the first half on a 7-9 shooting line.

Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field but La Salle shot 59.4 percent to edge out the Wildcats. At the end of the half, this game was looking like the first team to score 100 points would leave Tom Gola Arena victorious on the day.

The second half would begin in a similar fashion as the first half as Davidson trimmed La Salle’s advantage to four. While the Explorers were able to stop Gibbs early in the half, they were unable to slow down Aldrige. Luckily, The rest of the team stepped up while Davidson began to double cover Jordan Price. The issue with Price being doubled is that it opened up opportunities for other guys on the team.

When Aldridge’s big night was brought up, Coach John Giannini said,

"“He’s the Larry Bird of the A10. Zero exaggeration. Against VCU when their guards are getting pressure he plays the point and makes plays off ball screens in transition. He’ll post you, he’ll make threes when a guy can play the point and put it on the floor to post you up, that’s like the Larry Bird of the A10.”"

This is how La Salle was able to have four guys in double figures. The Explorers were also able to dominate the paint for 52 of their 91 points after relying heavily on three-pointers in prior games. It’s a shift that will be needed when the Explorers get deeper into Atlantic 10 play and some of those three-pointers aren’t falling anymore. They’ll need to rely on higher percentage shots and if tonight was any example, they’ll be just fine.

Jordan Price spoke about the team’s chemistry saying,

"“I feel like our chemistry has always been great. We’re brothers on and off the court and when it translates on the court that’s what you’re seeing now just sharing the ball and having fun.”"

The La Salle Explorers have moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Atlantic 10 ahead of their matchup with VCU on Sunday in Virginia. With VCU sliding and the Explorers surging this is a chance to add another quality win to La Salle’s resume. But they can’t take VCU lightly because regardless of their performances Virginia Commonwealth University is a very dangerous team that can strike at any time.

Next: Explorers Roll to their Fourth Straight Win

Belief is high on 20th and Olney and for good reason. The transfers have gelled and are playing up to their potential but this team can still get better. As good as they are on offense the defense leaves much to be desired and if that isn’t fixed by the A10 tournament the Explorers could be in for some tough sledding.

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