LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Matt Klinewski posted a career-high 26 points, but the Leopards fell cold from the field in the second half, falling at NJIT on Saturday afternoon by an 80-66 final.

Klinewski, whose previous career-high coming into the game was a pair of 12-point efforts, showed off his entire offensive game in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, hitting jumpers from the top of the key, driving and finishing through fouls, and producing with his back to the basket from the low block. The Voorhees, N.J. native was 9-for-15 from the field and 8-of-12 from the foul line to go along with five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.

Unfortunately for the Leopards, he was the lone source of consistent offensive production as Lafayette's outside shooting, a usual strength of this team, was cold for most of the day. The Maroon and White were 3-for-14 from beyond the arc (21.4%) and 23-for-59 from the field overall (39.0%).

NJIT's success came almost exclusively from its starting five, which had all five members finish in double figures. Terrence Smith and Ky Howard tallied 17 points apiece, while Tim Coleman, Winfield Willis and Damon Lynn added 16, 15 and 11, respectively. The Highlanders were forced into 16 turnovers, but won the rebounding battle, 38-30.

THE SKINNY ON LA SALLE
The Explorers are currently off to a 2-0 start on the young season, coming off a 73-60 victory over Rider on Tuesday evening. Picked to finish ninth in the 14-team Atlantic-10 Conference, La Salle's first three games of the season come on their home court. The Explorers are led by a trio of double-figure scorers, including 27.5 points per game from Jordan Price, and 14.5 each from Johnnie Shuler and Cleon Roberts.

LAFAYETTE VS. THE ATLANTIC 10
LaSalle is the second and final team from the Atlantic-10 Conference that Lafayette will face this season, the first coming against George Washington in the season opener, an 85-76 defeat. Lafayette holds a record of 40-96 all-time against current Atlantic 10 programs.

ALL-TIME SERIES
La Salle holds a 34-11 lead over the Leopards in an all-time series that dates back to 1903. In the last meeting between the two teams on November 11, 2011, the Explorers took care of the Maroon and White in their season opener, 79-53.

MANNING THE BENCH
Lafayette's Fran O'Hanlon has posted 290 wins in his career in his 21st season on the sideline for the Leopards, while La Salle's John Giannini is in his 27th season of coaching, holding a career overall mark of 474-319.

REPLACING TRIST
Lafayette has the tough task of replacing three 1,000-point scorers this season, including unanimous All-League First-Team selection Dan Trist '15. Much of the success of that transition will hinge on the continued development of Matt Klinewski. As South Jersey's leading scorer with 24.5 points per game at East Regional High School his senior season in 2013-14, Klinewski did not find points as easily during his rookie year on College Hill, putting up 3.1 points in an average of nine minutes per contest. Klinewski had his coming-out party on Saturday at NJIT, going 9-for-15 from the field and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line for a game-high 26 points in an 80-66 defeat. The sophomore has tallied double-figure scoring in each of his first three games this season after accomplishing that feat just twice a season ago.

Along with Klinewski are returning seniors Ben Freeland and Nathaniel Musters. Each gave the Leopards solid minutes at times last season, but will be called upon to provide effective play on both ends of the floor for longer periods of time this season and not just as two or three-minute holdovers when Trist needs a breather. Musters has gotten the nod to start in each of the first three games, but six big rebounds from Freeland off the bench helped the Leopards eke out an 87-86 overtime win over Saint Peter's in the Leopards' lone win.