La Salle coasts past Sacred Heart

Crisp ball movement. Dominating inside play. Pristine shooting.

You name it, La Salle had it as the Explorers coasted past Sacred Heart, 100-71, in a nonconference game Saturday afternoon before a sparse crowd at Tom Gola Arena.

Senior guard Ramon Galloway, who has NBA scouts on his trail, had 22 points, seven assists, and four steals for La Salle (8-2), which put six players in double figures. Sacred Heart lost its sixth straight and fell to 2-8.

Despite having one starter (Sam Mills) sidelined by an injured thumb and another (Galloway) unable to start because of a uniform violation, La Salle bolted to a 45-16 lead after 12 minutes and never looked back.

The Exlorers built a 66-30 halftime lead, falling two points shy of the school record for points in a half, set in 1990 against Loyola Marymount.

In Saturday's first-half clinic, La Salle shot 62.5 percent from the floor (25 for 40), 53.8 percent from three-point range (7 for 13), and 90 percent from the foul line (9 for 10). The Explorers outscored the visitors, 36-4, in the paint, and by a 23-0 margin following first-half turnovers.

Before Temple's shocking 83-79 win over No. 3 Syracuse on Saturday, some folks were calling La Salle the Big Five's best team. That still may be the case, and the Explorers' Feb. 21 meeting at Temple should be circled on their calendar.