La Salle Manhandles Duquesne

               The La Salle Explorers likely increased their chances at an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament this afternoon by completely running Duquesne out of the gym.  The Explorers improved to 20-7 and 10-4 in Atlantic 10 play with the 97-64 routing of the Dukes.  
From the opening whistle, La Salle took complete command of the game and did not allow Duquesne to get any ideas about pulling an upset today.  Five different players scored in double figures for the Explorers as they cruised to victory and continued making a strong case to go dancing.  While Duquesne, at 8-20 is nowhere near a good team, the Explorers did exactly what a talented squad is supposed to, and dominated from the start, rather than playing down to the Dukes level.  The Explorers entered the locker room at halftime having doubled the Dukes points, with a 50-25 lead.  La Salle continues to look impressive and poised for postseason play, in a game that saw contributions from all around.
                 Senior guard Ramon Galloway had an excellent day, scoring 23 points and collecting 6 assists as he led his team to victory.  It was a well-rounded effort by the Explorers who saw five different players score double-digit points.  Tyrone Garland and Sam Mills added 20 and 10 points respectively in the game.  Tyreek Duren continued his strong play as of late, contributing 16 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds.  Forward Jerrell Wright had a well-rounded game, scoring 16 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and also blocking 2 shots.  La Salle is playing strong basketball down the stretch and looks to have an at-large bid all but locked up, barring a slip-up against George Washington.  After that game the Explorers will finish off their regular season with a good test heading into the Atlantic 10 Tournament, when they visit 18th ranked Saint Louis.  That regular season finale will be a good gauge to see just where the Explorers are at heading into tournament time.  The team seems to be pulling it all together at the perfect time, and could be poised for a deep tournament run.