PHILADELPHIA – Dulani Robinson's 3-pointer as time expired lifted the visiting Texas Southern Tigers to a thrilling 77-76 win Saturday at La Salle.
Robinson drove approximately two-thirds the length of the court and connected on the game-winning shot after La Salle's Demetrius Henry missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw trip with five seconds remaining. Henry' shot was rebounded by TSU's Derrick Griffin, who got the ball to Robinson for last-second heroics.
The win was Texas Southern's third through the first four games of 2016-17, giving the Tigers the best start to a season since head coach Mike Davis was hired in 2012.
Robinson led five TSU players scoring in double-figures, tallying 17 points Saturday; he was 6-of-15 from the floor, while making three out of his seven 3-point tries. Griffin chipped in 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Marvin Jones and Zach Lofton scored 13 points apiece for the Tigers. Kevin Scott came off the TSU bench to score 10 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor.
B.J. Johnson scored a game-high 24 points on 6-of-8 shooting to lead La Salle (1-2); Johnson made all three of his 3-point attempts and all nine of his free throws. Cleon Roberts scored 16 points off the La Salle Bench, going 6-of-6 from the field with four 3-pointers.
Together, Johnson and Roberts kept La Salle in a game the Explorers led for only 12 minutes. While the team shot 46 percent (25 of 55) from the field and 45 percent (9 of 20) from the 3-point circle, without Johnson and Roberts, La Salle's field goal percentage dropped to 32 percent, while its 3-point showing was a dismal 15 percent (2 of 13).
Meanwhile, the Tigers shot 48 percent (26 of 54) from the floor, which included second-half showing of 56 percent (15 of 27). TSU outscored their hosts 43-41 after halftime.
TSU seized control of the game early, taking its largest lead of the contest when Jalan McCloud knocked down a jumper with 10:27 left in the first half to stretch the Tigers' lead to 23-10. La Salle fought back with an 11-2 run over the next three and a half minutes. The Explorers took a 35-34 lead into halftime.
The second half featured nine of the game's 10 lead changes and seven of its eight ties. La Salle appeared to be in control when Johnson gave the Explorers their largest lead of the game with a dunk with 1:23 left in the contest, building the home team's lead to 74-69.
The Tigers responded with a layup by Lofton on the team's next trip down the floor, making the game a one-possession contest with 1:04 remaining. After a missed dunk by La Salle's Pookie Powell, Lofton cut the deficit to one with a fast-break jumper in the paint with 33 seconds left.
Clinging to the lead, the Explorers used as much time as they could before Powell was fouled by Lofton, sending him to the line with eight seconds left to play. Powell made both free throws to push La Salle's lead back to 76-73.
On TSU's next possession, Powell fouled Scott, who made one out of two free throws with six seconds left. The Tigers opted to foul immediately, sending Henry to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. The 6-foot-9 reserve was 1-of-7 from the field at that point, and yet to attempt a free throw in the game. The strategy worked, as he missed his first shot, which was then succeeded by Robinson's heroics.
The Tigers conclude their two-game trip to the East Coast on Monday when they visit James Madison. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. local time).
Courtesy: TSU Athletics
Robinson drove approximately two-thirds the length of the court and connected on the game-winning shot after La Salle's Demetrius Henry missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw trip with five seconds remaining. Henry' shot was rebounded by TSU's Derrick Griffin, who got the ball to Robinson for last-second heroics.
The win was Texas Southern's third through the first four games of 2016-17, giving the Tigers the best start to a season since head coach Mike Davis was hired in 2012.
Robinson led five TSU players scoring in double-figures, tallying 17 points Saturday; he was 6-of-15 from the floor, while making three out of his seven 3-point tries. Griffin chipped in 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Marvin Jones and Zach Lofton scored 13 points apiece for the Tigers. Kevin Scott came off the TSU bench to score 10 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor.
B.J. Johnson scored a game-high 24 points on 6-of-8 shooting to lead La Salle (1-2); Johnson made all three of his 3-point attempts and all nine of his free throws. Cleon Roberts scored 16 points off the La Salle Bench, going 6-of-6 from the field with four 3-pointers.
Together, Johnson and Roberts kept La Salle in a game the Explorers led for only 12 minutes. While the team shot 46 percent (25 of 55) from the field and 45 percent (9 of 20) from the 3-point circle, without Johnson and Roberts, La Salle's field goal percentage dropped to 32 percent, while its 3-point showing was a dismal 15 percent (2 of 13).
Meanwhile, the Tigers shot 48 percent (26 of 54) from the floor, which included second-half showing of 56 percent (15 of 27). TSU outscored their hosts 43-41 after halftime.
TSU seized control of the game early, taking its largest lead of the contest when Jalan McCloud knocked down a jumper with 10:27 left in the first half to stretch the Tigers' lead to 23-10. La Salle fought back with an 11-2 run over the next three and a half minutes. The Explorers took a 35-34 lead into halftime.
The second half featured nine of the game's 10 lead changes and seven of its eight ties. La Salle appeared to be in control when Johnson gave the Explorers their largest lead of the game with a dunk with 1:23 left in the contest, building the home team's lead to 74-69.
The Tigers responded with a layup by Lofton on the team's next trip down the floor, making the game a one-possession contest with 1:04 remaining. After a missed dunk by La Salle's Pookie Powell, Lofton cut the deficit to one with a fast-break jumper in the paint with 33 seconds left.
Clinging to the lead, the Explorers used as much time as they could before Powell was fouled by Lofton, sending him to the line with eight seconds left to play. Powell made both free throws to push La Salle's lead back to 76-73.
On TSU's next possession, Powell fouled Scott, who made one out of two free throws with six seconds left. The Tigers opted to foul immediately, sending Henry to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. The 6-foot-9 reserve was 1-of-7 from the field at that point, and yet to attempt a free throw in the game. The strategy worked, as he missed his first shot, which was then succeeded by Robinson's heroics.
The Tigers conclude their two-game trip to the East Coast on Monday when they visit James Madison. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. local time).
Courtesy: TSU Athletics