A game that had looked over almost the entire second half was suddenly in overtime, where anything seemed possible. Finally, Penn hit the shooting wall and La Salle survived the Quakers and themselves to get an 89-83 win.
La Salle coach John Giannini felt certain his team would play well. And it had nothing to do with the opponent. The coach figured his team had hit rock bottom after he had to sit star Aaric Murray last Saturday against Richmond to get him refocused on playing and not reacting to all those things on the court that a player can't control, such as officials.
Talent is not an issue with this La Salle team. Defense has been an issue. Penn saw a different La Salle team than the one that had lost at home to Bucknell, Rider and Towson. And they saw a different Murray.
Murray made plays for himself and his teammates, showing just how good he can be on offense. He finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
"It felt good to be back," Murray said. "I learned my lesson. I think [Giannini] made a good decision."
Murray disappeared to the bench in those final moments of regulation when his team was imploding and Penn was closing fast. Defense is not Murray's strong point and Penn had gone small.
"I just felt like the key to the game at that point was perimeter defenders and that was the only reason [for Murray's absence]," Giannini said.
La Salle senior Ruben Guillandeaux had missed 13 consecutive shots over two games after taking ill over the Christmas break. He was huge for his team last night, scoring a game-high 24 points, 22 after halftime. And was not shocked when that lead disappeared.
