La Salle knocks off Providence in Mexico

CANCUN, Mexico - La Salle jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead and played well down the stretch to hold off Providence, 84-73, on Tuesday at the Cancun Challenge.

Sophomore center Aaric Murray, who scored 14 straight points late in the second half to keep the Friars at bay, led the Explorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He was one of five La Salle players in double figures.

La Salle coach John Giannini lauded the team effort. "Any time your team gives a great effort, you have to be happy. Our effort was tremendous. All eight guys who played contributed a great deal. It was a great team win. We keep getting better, and I think we can keep getting better," he said.

La Salle, winner of three straight, will look to capture its first regular-season tournament championship since winning the 2004 Dr Pepper Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn., Wednesday night when it faces No. 11 Missouri at 9:30.

Providence came in with a perfect 4-0 record, but the Explorers raced to a nine-point lead after little more than three minutes into the game.

The Friars cut the lead to eight with 10 minutes, 32 seconds remaining, but Murray kept the Explorers in the lead nearly single-handedly. He scored 14 straight points for La Salle, including 6 for 6 from the charity stripe. The lead would remain in double digits the rest of the contest.

Missouri (3-0) defeated Wyoming, 72-62, in the other Cancun Challenge semifinal. The Tigers reached the second round of last year's NCAA tournament and return four of their top five leading scorers from a season ago.

"It is a great opportunity [to play Missouri] and play a ranked team, one of the best teams in the country," Murray said.