La Salle easily handles Davidson, 84-70
La Salle easily handles Davidson, 84-70
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Once the game sped up, Davidson couldn't keep up.
La Salle used its versatility and athleticism to break away from the outmanned Wildcats in the first half - and run away in the second half of an 84-70 Explorers victory last night in the Charleston Classic's consolation bracket.
"We just did what the coaches drew up," said senior point guard Rodney Green, who led five Explorers in double figures with a game-high 21 points. "We played like a great team."
The Philadelphia native, who scored 23 points Thursday in a loss to South Carolina, also led the team with 10 rebounds.
Yves Mekongo added 17 points, including 11 from the free-throw line. Aaric Murray had 14.
Kimmani Barrett had 13. Ruben Guillandeaux scored all of his 11 points, including three three-pointers, in the first half.
"We'd like to think that we have a deep team," Explorers coach John Giannini said. "That certainly showed up statistically tonight."
La Salle (2-1) will close its tournament at Carolina First Arena at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow against Tulane (1-2), which defeated Penn State earlier in the day.
The Explorers had made 5 of 14 shots to start against Davidson, holding a modest 19-17 lead with 7 minutes, 39 seconds to play in the first half.
But a quick 7-0 run, consisting of Guillandeaux's first three-pointer and two Mekongo jumpers, opened the game.
The Explorers kept scoring until the halftime horn. Barrett banked in a three at the buzzer to give La Salle its largest first-half lead, 46-30.
The Wildcats (0-3) continue to look for a scorer or two, after losing Stephen Curry to the NBA a year early.
Bryan Barr led Davidson with 19 points, but hit 5 of 13 three-pointers. The Wildcats, who lean heavily on the three-ball, made only 10 of 27 from beyond the arc.
Still, Davidson closed to within 11 points a couple of times in the second half. But when La Salle needed a bucket or a clutch play, Green was there.
Green had 11, including a clutch three-pointer at the 12:47 mark, after Davidson had cut the lead to 60-49 with 13:09 to play.
