La Salle gave up the first points of Tuesday’s game against Penn. But that was the last time the Explorers trailed on their way to an 84-67 win at Tom Gola Arena.
Darien-Nelson Henry made a layup in the first minute of the game to put Penn (3-7, 0-2 Big 5) up 2-0, but Jordan Price nailed a three-pointer 22 seconds later on the other end to give La Salle (8-5, 1-2 Big 5) a lead they didn’t give up.
Several times in the first half, the Quakers cut the lead to one or two points but the Explorers were able to continually hold them off. La Salle stretched its lead to 12 (47-35) by halftime.
Early in the second half, Penn cut the lead to nine points but La Salle started to pull away. With about 16 minutes left in the game, Price received an outlet pass and found Jerrell Wright for an impressive alley-oop.
After losing five of six in a stretch from Nov. 28-Dec. 16, the Explorers have won their last three games — against Towson, Hofstra and Penn.
Turning point
The Explorers went on a 10-2 run midway through the first half. They started that span clinging to a one-point lead (20-19) but in less than three minutes gave themselves nine points of separation.
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Big men on campus
Price again led the scoring for La Salle. He dropped 18 on Tuesday and has now scored 103 in his last four games.
Wright scored 13 points and had seven rebounds, while Steve Zack filled up the score sheet. He had 17 points, nine boards and five assists.
Nelson-Henry led the Quakers in scoring with 15 points. He had eight in the first half.
Numbers game
• La Salle had a big day on the glass, out-rebounding Penn 35-21.
• La Salle shot 54.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. Penn shot 52 percent and 44.4 percent from three.
Did you know?
The Explorers won at home on Tuesday but they’ve been very good on the road this season. La Salle is second in the nation in true road wins with four. (Tennessee Martin has five.)
History lesson
The Quakers lost on Tuesday but still have an edge in the all-time series, 38-30. La Salle, however, has now won the past eight games between the two; that’s the longest winning streak in the series.
What’s next?
The Explorers have hit the A-10 portion of their schedule. They’ll be at George Mason on Jan. 3 and will host Massachusetts on Jan. 7.
Penn gets an extended break before facing Princeton on Jan. 10.