Graham Foley (@graham_foley3)

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In its last home game of 2016, the La Salle Explorers got by the defending Atlantic Sun champion Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 84-80 at Tom Gola Arena.

At First…

Both teams traded 3-point shots to start the game before La Salle pulled ahead to an 11 point lead, 19-8, with 12:56 left in the first half. It was their largest lead of half one. After an Amar Stukes layup gave La Salle a 34-26 lead with 3:06 remaining in the first half, Florida Gulf Coast closed the half on a 13-5 run, tying the game on a Rayjon Tucker 3-point shot with two seconds left.

At the start of the second half, Zach Johnson of FGCU and B.J. Johnson of La Salle took over the game. Zach Johnson slammed a monster dunk with 17:55 remaining to increase FGCU’s lead to 46-43. B.J. Johnson replied with a flying dunk that pumped up the La Salle crowd and gave the Explorers a 47-46 lead with 16:28 left. B.J. and Zach Johnson then traded 3 point shots, B.J.’s tying the game at 50 and Zach’s reclaiming the Eagles’ lead 53-50.

Turning Point…

With 2:15 left in the game, Jordan Price found B.J. Johnson under the net who slammed it home and tied the game at 74. On the ensuing FGCU possession, a Johnson steal gave La Salle the ball and led to a Price layup, giving La Salle a 76-74 lead.

FGCU’s Christian Terrell then missed two free throws after being fouled at the net. The Explorers extended the lead to 78-74 on a Jordan Price jumper at the shot clock buzzer. La Salle did not surrender the lead for the rest of the game and a B.J. Johnson dunk with six seconds left sealed the 84-80 victory.

Standout Stars…

La Salle redshirt junior guard B.J. Johnson led the team with 35 points. He scored 28 points in the second half with 14 points coming in the first 8:32. He shot 10-for-16 from the field and his three 3-point shots led the team. Johnson scored 14 of the team’s last 23 points and scored more in the second half (28) than his previous single-game high (24). Jordan Price tacked on 16 points. In the last ten minutes of the gane, Price and Johnson were the only La Salle players to hit a field goal.

Florida Gulf Coast redshirt-junior guard Brandon Goodwin led the team with 26 points. His four 3-point shots were crucial in the Eagles’ comeback. He led all scorers in the first half with 14 points and scored seven of FGCU’s last 13 points to close the first half.

Noteworthy Number(s)...

13: Both La Salle (13 seed) and Florida Gulf Coast (15 seed) reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in 2013. It was the first time two teams seeded 13 or lower reached that round.

28: La Salle senior guard Jordan Price moved to 28th in La Salle’s all time scoring list passing Mike Gizzi (1994-1998). Price scored his 14th of the game with 1:31 left in the second half. He needed 13 to pass Gizzi.

7: Florida Gulf Coast came into Saturday’s game ranked 7th in the nation in field goal percentage (51.2 percent). The Eagles shot 46.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range in the losing effort.

2: This was just the second matchup between Florida Gulf Coast and La Salle. The first game between the two schools took place last year with the Eagles taking down the Explorers at Avion Arena in Fort Myers, Florida by a score of 86-77 on New Year’s Eve.

Up Next….

La Salle (5-4) at Mercer (5-5) -- Thurs., Dec. 22, 7:00 PM