The La Salle Explorers suffered their second blowout loss this week after losing 53-77 to the Davidson Wildcats. Davidson was led by guard Carter Collins who finished with 24 points, 3 assists, and 2 total rebounds. Collins scored his 24 points on an extremely efficient 10-12 shooting (83%), with his only two missed shots coming from behind the three point line.
Collins averaged .96 points per minute in what was a clinical dissection of the La Salle defense.
On the other side, La Salle University was led by guard Sean Spencer who scored 12 points on 50% shooting. Spencer scored all of his points exclusively from behind the three point line with 4-7 shooting from beyond three.
This win for Davidson caps off a successful week for the wildcats who were able to easily handle both of their opponents in Saint Joe’s and La Salle. La Salle had a week that was the exact inverse of what Davidson was able to do. The Explorers have dropped two 20+ point losses this week with a 42-75 loss to George Mason and 53-77 loss to Davidson.
La Salle Lacks “The Guy”
La Salle’s biggest issue is the fact this team does not have “The Guy” who can take charge of scoring for this roster. Coach Ashley Howard has constructed a team which relies on six to eight players, all of whom need to score ten points each in order to win games. If more than three people can’t get into double digits points the game quickly slips away from La Salle.
Having that one player who can take a game over will change the dynamic of any team. As an example, look no further than Saint Joe’s. With Ryan Daly Saint Joe’s is a scrappy team that has the opportunity to, at minimum, threaten most teams with an upset. Without him, Saint Joe’s stands no chance at keeping their opponents within striking distance.
Look to Clifton Moore
Having at least one player who can get a bucket on command can help stabilize any offense. They are players who can end a scoring draught and help score the game winning basket. For La Salle, I believe that Clifton Moore has the tools to be that type of player for the Explorers.
The Atlantic 10 is not a league known for containing many big men. It is a guard and skill oriented league. Clifton Moore has a unique opportunity to really dominate the Atlantic 10 in a similar way to UMass’s Trey Mitchell. Moore can begin this effort of becoming “The Guy” by exploiting the Saint Joe’s Hawks in Monday’s matchup. Saint Joe’s has no big men. Taylor Funk and Anthony Longpré will struggle to keep Moore under control if La Salle can get him the ball in the paint.
In conclusion, La Salle needs a guy who can take over games in order to avoid blowouts like the one against Davison. Clifton Moore can be that guy if he wants to be.
What’s Up Next
The Davidson Wildcats will play Fordham this Wednesday at 1:00pm on ESPN+.
On the other side, La Salle will play their Philadelphia Big 5 rivals Saint Joe’s this Monday at 4:00 pm on CBSSN. La Salle beat Saint Joe’s twice last year and will look to replicate those efforts this Monday. In addition, the upcoming game between La Salle and Saint Joe’s was recently named the “MLK Jr Day” series and is scheduled to occur in both 2021 and 2022.
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