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La Salle's Price relishes his overtime roll vs. VCU

Jordan Price has gone on scoring sprees before, but the La Salle sophomore can't remember a hotter five minutes than the run he experienced Wednesday in a 74-69 double-overtime win at Virginia Commonwealth.

La Salle Explorers guard Jordan Price (21) shoots the ball as Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Jordan Burgess (20) defends in the second half at Stuart Siegel Center. The Explorers won 74-69 in double overtime. (Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)
La Salle Explorers guard Jordan Price (21) shoots the ball as Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard Jordan Burgess (20) defends in the second half at Stuart Siegel Center. The Explorers won 74-69 in double overtime. (Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)Read more

Jordan Price has gone on scoring sprees before, but the La Salle sophomore can't remember a hotter five minutes than the run he experienced Wednesday in a 74-69 double-overtime win at Virginia Commonwealth.

In the second overtime, Price scored all 12 of his team's points as La Salle beat a VCU team that is in a four-way tie for first place in the Atlantic Ten.

"I can't think of ever scoring that many in an overtime period," Price said Thursday, still trying to digest the enormity of his performance.

La Salle had a simple strategy in the second overtime.

"It was a no-brainer to go to him, especially the way he was going," coach John Giannini said.

Price, who sat out last season after transferring from Auburn, had career highs in points (34) and rebounds (18). He also added five assists.

His 34-18-5 line is the first this season by a Division I player and only the fourth since 1996-97. The others to accomplish that in that span were Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Norris Cole (Cleveland State), and Michael Sweetney (Georgetown).

Price made 10 of 22 shots from the field, 5 of 10 from three-point range and 9 of 10 from the foul line. He played 48 of the 50 minutes.

"It was fun," Price said. "I put in a lot of work and God is always with me."

Price's previous career scoring high was 31 points in a win over Towson in December. His top rebounding total before Wednesday was seven in a loss at Dayton.

No. 20 VCU played without its top two players. Guard Briante Weber suffered a season-ending knee injury Jan. 31. Leading scorer Treveon Graham (16.2 ppg.) missed the game with a high ankle sprain.

Still, the Rams (18-6) are a formidable opponent, especially at home. It was just their third home loss in 32 games.

"The rest of their team is really good and they are very talented," Price said. "This is a big win."

Price scored 30 points in his previous game, a 66-59 loss Sunday at UMass.

"I feel I have been in a good groove and credit goes to my teammates for always finding me and telling me to continue to shoot even when I am not having the best of nights," Price said.

The 6-foot-5 Price is averaging 17.3 points and 3.7 rebounds this season. He is shooting a team-best 83.9 percent from the foul line and leads the Explorers in assists, averaging 2.4 per game.

La Salle can't be discounted in next month's A-10 tournament. The Explorers (14-10, 6-5) are two games behind the four co-leaders with seven to play, beginning with a matchup Saturday against Davidson at Tom Gola Arena.

There may not be a powerhouse in the A-10, but the depth of solid teams appears even greater. Still, Giannini said that there is little time to celebrate.

"I look at Davidson, our next opponent, and they are the highest scoring team in the league," Giannini said of the Wildcats, who average 82 points per game. "We can't sit here and think about how well we are playing."