Instead of celebrating the exploits of a 1,000-point scorer, La Salle had to settle for a 79-56 win over Richmond last night in an Atlantic Ten Conference game at Tom Gola Arena.

The young Explorers, who had lost nine of 11 going into the game, snapped a two-game losing streak. They improved to 9-11 overall and 2-4 in the Atlantic Ten. Richmond (5-14, 1-5) has lost 10 of its last 11.

Junior guard Darnell Harris, who entered the game needing 22 points to become the 46th Explorer to reach the 1,000-point mark, scored 18.

Harris hit two free throws with 1 minute, 48 seconds remaining before getting the rest of the night off.

Coach John Giannini was aware that Harris was near the milestone when he took him out.

"I don't want to have him get hurt when up by 20, knowing he will get his 1,000 points sometime in the next year and a half," Giannini said.

Harris understood.

"I just want to win games and keep growing as a team together," he said.

La Salle and Richmond are young teams with three freshmen each in the starting lineup, so there will be long stretches for both that won't go smoothly. Last night's first half was an example.

The Explorers shot just 7 for 24 from the field but led, 25-17, at halftime.

"I thought if we would have come out with the same aggression in the first half that we did in the second, we would have fared a lot better," said Richmond coach Chris Mooney, a graduate of Philadelphia's Archbishop Ryan.

It would have been worse for Richmond in the first half had it not been for the contributions of two local products.

Kevin Hovde, a 6-foot-5 freshman who graduated from Unionville High, came off the bench to score six points, hitting both of his three-point attempts.

Fellow freshman Dan Geriot, a 6-9 starter from Springfield, Delaware County, shared first-half scoring honors with six points, hitting 3 of 6 from the field. The rest of the team shot 1 for 17 in the half.

Gerot finished with a team-high 12 points before fouling out, while Hovde added eight.

The lack of firepower wasn't surprising, since Richmond entered the game last in the 14-team A-10 in scoring offense, averaging 61.2 points per game.

Richmond's first half put the Spiders in too deep a hole. The closest the Spiders got in the second half was six points (30-24).

La Salle received 15 points from Rodney Green, a 6-5 freshman guard from Philadelphia's Prep Charter. When Green scores 13 or more points, La Salle is 9-3. When he gets fewer than 13, the Explorers are 0-8.

Sherman Diaz, a 6-5 junior, came off the bench to score 12 for La Salle.

For the game, La Salle was 37 for 47 from the foul line, while Richmond was 11 for 17.

La Salle also outrebounded Richmond, 54-25, led by Yves Mekongo Mbala, a 6-7 freshman.

"I am proud of the rebounding differential all season long," Giannini said. "It shows a team with heart."