Cleon Roberts Leads The Explorers With 23 Points
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 3/2/2016 – The La Salle Explorers winning streak extends to two in a row as they defeated the Saint Louis Billikens 76 – 68 at The Gola Arena. Junior guard Cleon Roberts scored 23 points in the game and set a career-mark with 6 made three-point field goals.
“I didn’t know I had that many,” said Roberts. “Coach told me to keep shooting the ball, and I shot with confidence.”
The Explorers took control of the game in the second half by going on a 16 – 2 run over a 5:21 stretch to lead 58 – 41. Roberts keyed the run by getting a trio of treys in the run. He was on a roll.
“It makes the game easier, I feel more relaxed, and I know I don’t have to force anything, just keep playing,” Roberts said.
It was the largest lead of the game for La Salle. Guard Johnnie Shuler had a basket from deep in the run giving him 33 consecutive games with a made three-point basket. Shuler finished the game with 15 points.
Jordan Price kept his streak of games with a made three, he now stands at 32. For the game Price tallied 14 points. Tony Washington added 11 points. Amar Stukes had a career-high 9 assists.
The Billikens (10 – 19, 5 -12) remain a game ahead of La Salle in the conference. They were led by Davell Roby who scored a team-high 16 points. Mike Crawford had 14 points, 11 of which came at the start of the second half.
“We won against a very good team,” said La Salle Coach Dr. John Giannini. “They have been playing some of the best teams in the country to the last few minutes. For us to lead for almost twenty-eight minutes against a team that is playing that well was impressive.”
It was Senior Night at The Gola Arena. O.J. Lewis and Rohan Brown were honored before the game. It was only fitting that each senior scored the first Explorer baskets of the contest, Lewis with a three and Brown a layup. It was their only points of the game, but it will create a memory.
La Salle (8 – 20, 4 – 13) is looking to move up and climb out of the #14 seed for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Explorers have one more regular season game remaining at Massachusetts, a team just above them in the standings. The key now is to play your best basketball possible at the end of the season. La Salle is doing that.
“We just beat a couple of good teams, we’ve won three of our last four, so I think the facts speak for themselves,” Giannini said.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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