Explorers stomp Bonnies; Xavier too much

By Mike McDonald
Collegian Editor
February 6, 2008

The Explorers entered last Wednesday’s matchup with St. Bonaventure needing to win, and senior Darnell Harris made sure there wasn’t much suspense over the contest’s outcome.

For all intents and purposes, the game was over after five minutes.

The Explorers came out of the gate firing from downtown, as they scored all of their first 27 points on three-pointers. With 12:35 remaining in the first half, La Salle led, 27-14, and Harris was already 5-for-5 with 15 points. He would go on to shoot a perfect 7-for-7 from long range for a game-high 23 points.

Mike Dao - Darnell Harris pulls up for one of seven threes against Bonnies.

“I definitely got some good looks today,” Harris said. “I give all the credit to my teammates for finding me. There are just times when you get into a rhythm, and you feel like you can’t miss.”

Harris’ proficiency from three hasn’t been taken for granted by La Salle head coach John Giannini.

“He’s having one of the best shooting seasons in America,” Giannini said. “It’s one thing to make them when people are off of you. It’s another thing to make them when people are trying to stop that as an emphasis in their game plan. I’m just amazed by the season he’s having shooting the ball.”

Harris wasn’t the only one to have a good day against the Bonnies, as three of his teammates also scored in double-figures en route to an 84-61 victory.

Junior Paul Johnson went 6-for-8 for 16 points to go with seven rebounds.

The Explorers didn’t keep up the pace they had established early on, but after that strong of a start, they didn’t need to.

“Obviously, I thought the first 25 minutes of the game was very strong,” Giannini said. “Surprisingly, the thing that we do best is rebounding, and this is the one Atlantic 10 game of the year so far where we didn’t win that battle. Normally, we’re not a great shooting team, and of course, tonight we shoot it great. That’s why it’s a lot of fun to watch college basketball, because there is a certain level of unpredictability to it. But we did play hard, and that is predictable about this team.”

With the win, the Explorers climbed back to .500 in the conference, at 3-3, while the Bonnies fell to 0-6.

Saturday brought more of a challenge for the Explorers, as they headed out to Cincinnati for an evening showdown with the 15th-ranked Xavier Musketeers.

La Salle was able to give Xavier a game, but the Explorers were ultimately unable to keep up with the Musketeers, and they fell, 75-62.

Sophomore Rodney Green paced La Salle with 18 points, and freshman Jerrell Williams bounced back from a tough game against the Bonnies with a 16-point effort.

Sophomore Yves Mekongo Mbala had a strong effort, and he recorded a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Xavier spread the scoring around throughout the game. Six different Musketeers scored in double figures, but none had more than 16. C.J. Anderson was the one with 16 points, and he also pulled down seven rebounds and registered three blocks.

With the win, Xavier improved to 6-1 in the A-10 and 18-4 overall. They are currently tied with St. Joseph’s for the top spot in the conference.

The Explorers now stand at 3-4 in the A-10 and 8-12 overall. They are in the middle of the pack in the conference, and they face an important game against 1-6 George Washington Wednesday in our nation’s capital.

mcdonaldm2@lasalle.edu