 Game Preview: La Salle Explorers vs. Massachusetts Minutemen
March 2, 2010 La Salle Explorers vs. Massachusetts Minutemen Listen Live!
It will be Senior Day in Tom Gola Arena on Wednesday, but only one of the four eligible seniors will be able to start. The season ended early for Ruben Guillandeaux who suffered a stress fracture after playing in just four games this year. Guillandeaux was averaging 9.5 points per game and shooting 62 percent from three-point range in the early part of the season.
Kimmani Barrett's season was halted in mid-January as he also suffered a foot injury. At the time, Barrett was averaging 13.3 points per game in 15 starts. Earlier in the season, against Oklahoma State, Barrett became the 47th Explorer to reach the 1,000-point milestone. He currently has 1,057 points in his career. Yves Mekongo broke his pinky finger and was forced to have surgery just before the Duquesne game. Mekongo was third on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game and rebounding with 5.5 boards per game. He recently scored his 1,000th point against Saint Louis, which was the last game he's played in this season. Mekongo was also recently named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All America first team for the second straight year. Rodney Green has been the focal point of this Explorers' basketball team for the last two seasons, since the departure of Darnell Harris. Green will leave La Salle as one of the program's most renowned players. The guard from Prep Charter High School will play in his 122nd game in the Blue and Gold on Wednesday. Green has scored 1,872 career points which has him in ninth place on the school's all-time scoring list. With just two games to go in the regular season and if the Explorers can make a postseason appearance, Green will have a shot at compiling 54 points to pass Kareem Townes for eighth all-time. In a game against Charlotte this season at Tom Gola Arena, Green poured 32 points on the 49ers to notch his career-high for total points in a single game. University of Massachusetts (10-18, 4-10) / Conference: Atlantic 10 Coming off an 28-point loss to the Dayton Flyers, the Massachusetts Minutemen are looking to break a late season three-game slide. As of Feb. 27, the Minutemen are led by senior Ricky Harris, who is leading the team with 511 points on the season, 18.9 ppg, 79 assists, and 35 steals. The Minutemen brought in a highly regarded freshman class this season, with five freshmen added to the roster in total. Two of the rookies, Terrell Vinson and Freddie Riley, are within the top four scorers on the team this season. Vinson has tallied 279 points, while Riley is close behind with 228 points. The Series The game will be exciting to say the least as the A-10's top two leading scorers are set to face off on Wednesday. Ricky Harris, who has tallied 1,858 career points, will be going up against Rodney Green who has a total of 1,872 points in the Blue and Gold. Historically, the Explorers are 10-13 against the Minutemen, with La Salle winning the last three meetings. At Tom Gola Arena, the Explorers are 5-4 against UMass. The Minutemen are looking for one more win to clinch a spot in the A-10 tournament. |
