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Foul-plagued Explorers fall to Georgetown

MIAMI - La Salle coach John Giannini is going to hear whistles in his sleep. The Explorers committed 32 team fouls to send Georgetown to the line 43 times, certainly the difference-maker in a 93-78 loss at American Airlines Arena.

MIAMI - La Salle coach John Giannini is going to hear whistles in his sleep.

The Explorers committed 32 team fouls to send Georgetown to the line 43 times, certainly the difference-maker in a 93-78 loss at American Airlines Arena.

As a team, Georgetown shot 36 of 43 from the stripe, good for 83.7 percent. La Salle was 22 of 33 (66.7 percent) on its foul shots.

The teams combined for 58 fouls. Eight players between the teams had four or more infractions.

"I think you don't have control over [the calls], and I think that giving up 93 points and 53 percent from the field for the game is not going to win," Giannini said. "No matter who's officiating the game.

"My kids are good players and they work hard, and I just have to figure out our defensive problems, I have to figure it out," he added. "Our defensive results are not good and I just have to figure that out."

Despite the numerous penalties, La Salle (4-4) found itself in a tie game with Georgetown (6-4) with just over eight minutes to play. But forwards Demetrius Henry and Tony Washington fouled out in a 15-second span with six minutes left, allowing the much bigger Hoyas to pull away down the stretch.

"It's hard, when you're playing with five guards," Giannini said. "It's hard."

Junior wing L.J. Peak paced the Hoyas with 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting, going 12 of 15 from the line. Sophomore forward Jesse Govan got 10 of his 18 points at the foul stripe.

On top of the foul shooting, the Hoyas were 25 of 47 (53.2 percent) from the floor, including 7 of 12 from three-point range.

That's nothing too out of the ordinary against a La Salle defense that went into the game giving up more than 80 points per contest, worst in the Atlantic Ten by a wide margin. Before Georgetown, opponents were shooting better than 48 percent from the floor against the Explorers.

"The shooting percentages and the points allowed are astronomical. We really have to do something about it," Giannini said. "I have to figure it out, because I like our players, and I do think they'll work."

"Lord knows I know how he feels right now," Georgetown coach John Thompson said. "They've got to go back, I'm sure, and figure some things out. But there's no one thing when we were watching the film, we said 'ah-ha, let's go here.' "

Senior guard Jordan Price led La Salle with 23 points. Junior forward B.J. Johnson added 19 for the Explorers, who lost to another Big East opponent, No. 1 Villanova, 89-79, on Tuesday.

La Salle will be back in action next Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Tom Gola Arena.