Nov. 23, 2015 Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - La Salle's Jordan Price would've been tough for any team to beat on Monday evening in Philadelphia, dropping 33 points on 11-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-8 from three, in an 83-75 win over the Lafayette men's basketball team.
Sophomore forward Matt Klinewski tried his best to match him, backing up a 26-point performance on Saturday at NJIT with a 23-point effort Monday. The Voorhees, N.J. native went 9-for-13 from the field and connected on all five of his free-throw opportunities.
"My teammates have kept pushing me in practice to get better and better and I'm continuously feeding off of them," Klinewski said of his recent performances. "I knew I was going to get the chance to be productive, but I've just continued to work and the results are starting to show."
Freshman Paulius Zalys and senior Bryce Scott joined Klinewski in double-figure scoring for the Leopards (1-3) with 13 and 10 points, respectively, as the Leopards went 26-of-56 from the field (46.4%). Lafayette again struggled from beyond the arc in the second half, hitting on two of eight attempts and 5-of-15 for the game (33.3%). The Maroon and White were 0-for-4 from outside in the second half on Saturday.
The Leopards did record 20 assists on the night compared to 13 turnovers, but were beaten on the glass by a 43-25 margin. Lafayette led 38-36 on points in the paint, but gave up 11 fast-break points and lost the bench scoring battle, 37-19.
"It was a game of runs and we needed to be more consistent," head coach Fran O'Hanlon said. "I was happy and proud of how we got back in the game by halftime, but, once again, we didn't get off to the best start in the second half and that kind of put it away."
Klinewski's bucket through a foul finally got the Leopards on the board after a sluggish start that saw the first eight points come off the hands of La Salle players. After a three went down from Price, senior Zach Rufer answered with a triple of his own in the corner to cut the lead to two at 11-9.
Unfortunately, that momentum swing didn't last long as a transition bucket followed by the third Price shot from distance in the first five minutes pushed La Salle (3-0) to a 7-0 spurt, taking an 18-9 lead with 15:26 remaining in the half.
La Salle's hot shooting continued into the midway part of the half, going 6-for-7 from three in the opening eight minutes to remain on top by a 28-17 score into the 12-minute media timeout. A put-back bucket from senior Ben Freeland kept the Leopards within striking distance, though, bringing the lead under double-digits at 30-21 with 9:30 to play in the first.
A pair of free throws from Johnnie Shuler at the 5:40 mark extended the Explorers' lead to their largest of the half at 15, but a Nick Lindner drive provided a response as the score stood at 38-25 with five minutes left in the half. The first career points from freshman Auston Evans from the free throw line pulled Lafayette back under 10 at 38-29, and a pair from Zalys at the foul stripe made it 38-31 with 4:32 to play.
A drive to his left from Lindner brought the Maroon and White to within five with 2:40 to play, the closest of the half to that point. The junior brought the Leopards even closer from the foul line, as three free throws made it a two-point game, 42-40, with 53.5 seconds left in the half. A jumper from Shuler on one end and a free throw from Rufer on the other sent the game into the intermission with La Salle in front by three, 44-41.
A four-point possession from La Salle opened the second half to put the home side in front by a 48-41 margin. Zalys answered for the Leopards though, finishing through a foul after a power dribble in the lane to make it 48-43 with 18:25 remaining.
Price continued to be a force for La Salle as another finish through a foul extended the lead to 11, 54-43, with 17 minutes on the clock. The Explorers pushed it out to 14, but a triple from Scott pulled the Leopards back, 59-48, with 14:48 on the clock.
Price's 30th point on an up-and-under move in the point forced an O'Hanlon stoppage with 12:56 to play and the Explorers' lead back up to 15, 63-48. Free throws from Tony Washington with 9:40 on the clock pushed the lead to its largest of the game to that point, 17, 69-52.
The Explorers continued to work the clock and Lafayette's offense couldn't get shots to fall when it needed them as the game moved through the latter stages of the second half. A strong drive from the left corner from Evans brought the Leopards within three, 80-67, with 1:25 to play, but in the end, it wasn't enough as La Salle walked away with the 83-75 victory.
Lafayette finishes off its three-game road trip on Wednesday, traveling to Princeton for a 7 p.m. contest with the Tigers.
