Posted by: Shawn Sweeney
Tabby Cunningham grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and dished out seven assists. |
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The La Salle men’s basketball team notched its 12th win of the season, defeating Duquesne (3-16, 1-7 Atlantic 10), for the second time this season, by a score of 75-66 at the A.J. Palumbo Center. The Explorers (12-7, 4-4) led by as many as 19 points, and saw three players score in double figures.
Senior Jermaine Thomas (Frederick, MD/Thomas Johnson) led La Salle with a season-high 20 points, including three three-pointers. Sophomore Darnell Harris (Baltimore, MD/St. Francis) finished with 12 points, while senior Steven Smith (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) added 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Explorers, who led wire to wire, used a late first-half run to pull away from the Dukes. Led by six Lewis Fadipe (Lagos, Nigeria/Forest Hill School) points, La Salle outscored Duquesne 13-1 over a four-minute span and took a 41-25 lead into the locker room at halftime. Fadipe finished with eight points, all coming in the first half.
La Salle got off to a slow start, missing four of its first five shots, but still managed to eek out an 8-1 lead as Harris hit back-to-back three pointers. Duquesne scored 11 of the next 16 points to cut the La Salle lead to one with under 12 minutes to play in the first half, but that would be as close as the Dukes would come.
Duquesne made a game of it in the second half, chipping away at the Explorers’ once-comfortable lead. The Dukes cut it down to nine points with under nine minutes to play. La Salle answered right back, rebuilding its lead to 16 points with under five minutes to play. The relentless Dukes refused to let the Explorers breathe easily, cutting the lead down to nine points in the waning minutes.
Sophomore Tabby Cunningham (Philadelphia, PA/St. John Neumann) grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. The 5-foot-8 guard also dished out seven assists and finished with two points.
Bryant McAllister led the Dukes with 20 points. La Salle outrebounded Duquesne by a 40-29 margin.
The Explorers return to action on Saturday, when they host Big 5 and Atlantic 10 rival Temple at 4:05 p.m.
