Price, Roberts fuel La Salle win
The long-range shooting of Jordan Price and Cleon Roberts lift the Explorers over Duquesne.
LA SALLE'S sophomore guard, a transfer from a Southern school who can nail threes with ease from the wing, played a key role in the Explorers' 87-72 steamrolling of visiting Duquesne Wednesday night.
No, that description doesn't fit only Jordan Price, the two-time reigning Big 5 Player of the Week for the Explorers, who transferred from Auburn in 2013. It also works pretty aptly for Cleon Roberts, who came to La Salle at the same time as Price from Georgia Southern.
Roberts and Price dropped bombs from deep to start the night, as the Explorers (15-11, 7-6 Atlantic 10) went on a 12-0 run en route to an easy win over the Dukes (8-11, 3-10).
Price shot 5-for-13 from the arc on his way to a game-high 19 points, while Roberts went 3-for-9 on attempts from beyond the arc, finishing with 13 points. The Explorers were 30-for-62 overall, 13-for-30 from beyond the arc.
The duo attributed their distance shooting to their ability to space the floor against Duquesne's paint-packing zone defense, a system that eliminates high-post offense and dares opponents to shoot from deep.
"We practice our shots everyday against the zone," Roberts said. "We're prepared."
Added Price: "We knew they were going to come out in zone. Our scout team practices the zone very well."
La Salle coach John Giannini reiterated four words over and over regarding how the Explorers did their best to crack the Dukes' zone.
"Attack, pass and score. Attack, pass and score," he repeated. "You have to make threes against them."
Price might have had the advantage last night, but Roberts leads the Explorers in three-point percent, as he's currently shooting 39.2 percent (112 attempts) compared with Price's 34.0 percent (156 attempts).
Two talented transfers providing a much-needed scoring tandem for La Salle bring back thoughts of Tyrone Garland and Ramon Galloway, who carried the Explorers to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2013.
Giannini credits the Explorers' seamless assimilation of two more sharp-shooting guards to the dedicated training regimen and leadership of La Salle's upperclassmen.
" did an amazing job this offseason," Giannini said. "We really worked hard this offseason. I've never had a team work harder. They've set the bar high for those guys."