BROOKLYN, N.Y. – La Salle led virtually the entire contest. The Explorers enjoyed as much an 18-point lead late in the first half. The near-game domination was erased as LaSalle went scoreless the final 4:45 of the contest. Davidson advanced 67-66 on a Tyler Kalinoski’s drive to the basket rimmed and dropped as the buzzer sounded.
A look at the numbers gets us going:
Possessions: Davidson 65, LaSalle 62
Efficiency: LaSalle 107, Davidson 103
In nearly 95 per cent of the time the team that “wins” offensive efficiency usually wins the game. It was that type of fate for La Salle.
Key factors: La Salle actually outshot the Wildcats with a 57-50 percentage in eFG shooting. The xplorers also owned a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint. That was negated by a 24 percent TO rate that saw Davidson own a 21-10 points off turnovers difference.
Steve Zack of LaSalle led all scorers with 24 points, and Jarell Wright added 19 to epitomize the Explorer inside prowess. Jack Gibbs paced Davidson with 22 points, while Kalinoski added 18.
Davidson is 24-6 and advancing to the A-10 semifinals. LaSalle dropped to 17-16.
“I brought the ball up fast. Getting to the run I saw a shot blocker coming over and just wanted to get he ball high.
We are taught in practice to put it high on the backboard so it has a better chance of gong in. I knew there was a chance for it to go because it felt good when I shot it.” – Davidson’s Tyler Kalinoski
