Philadelphia, Pa. –  La Salle University is named for St. John Baptist De La Salle, was a French priest, educational reformer, and founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. De La Salle once said "Don't be discouraged by anxieties and troubles. Life is full of them." That rang true for the Fordham-La Salle Atlantic 10 basketball matchup tonight as the two teams combined for 32 turnovers but it was the Explorers who came out one top, 58-49, in the Tom Gola Arena.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 7-18 overall on the year, 1-12 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle improves to 12-13 overall, 3-10 in the conference.
 
The Rams were led by junior guard Josh Colon, who scored a game-high 14 points, hitting all ten of his free throws, while freshman forward Joel Soriano added nine points and eight rebounds and senior guard Antwon Portley netted nine points.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team holding more than a five-point lead.
 
The Explorers took a 22-19 lead into the break and then scored the first five points of the second half to take a 27-19 lead under two minutes in to the period.
 
The Rams battled back to make it a two-point game twice over the next five minutes, the final at 31-29 on a Soriano layup with 13:46 left.
 
The game turned when the Rams stopped La Salle for 29 seconds on a possession midway through the half only to see the Explorers connect on a three-pointer as the shot clock expired. That basket was the beginning of an 11-2 run that helped La Salle take a 45-33 lead with 6:50 remaining.
 
Takeaways
• Antwon Portley returned to the starting lineup for the Rams after coming in off the bench for the past six games since he returned from an injury.
 
• The Rams got junior guard Ivan Raut, who missed the past six games with an injury, back but were without the services of sophomore forward Onyi Eyisi, who suffered an injury in the Duquesne game on Sunday.
 
• Fordham entered the game first in the Atlantic 10, and 17th in the NCAA, in scoring defense (61.7 ppg).
 
• Fordham has held 22 of its 25 opponents to under its season scoring average this year (La Salle entered the game averaging 68.8 ppg).
 
• La Salle entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in offensive rebounds in A-10 games (12.67/game) and grabbed 12 in the game.
 
• There was only one field goal (a dunk with under ten seconds remaining) by either team over the final 3:40.
 
• It was a sort of homecoming for Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer, who played at La Salle from 1989-1993, though the Explorers played their home game at the Philadelphia Civic Center at that time.
 
By the Numbers
4 - Offensive fouls drawn by Fordham, led by two from Josh Colon.
 
9 – Points by Joel Soriano, matching his season-high.
 
9.4 – RPG average for Joel Soriano over the past five games.
 
11 – Different starting lineups used this year by Fordham.
 
14 – Points by Josh Colon, a season-high (previous high was ten which he did twice, the last time in the home game against La Salle).
 
22 – First half points by La Salle, the third fewest in a half by a Fordham Atlantic 10 opponent this year.
 
32:22 - Time took a player to hit double figures in scoring (La Salle's David Beatty).
 
58 – Points by La Salle, its third lowest offensive output of the year.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams continue Atlantic 10 play on Saturday, February 22, as they host the University of Massachusetts Minutemen in the historic Rose Hill Gym at 4:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the 47th meeting between Fordham and Massachusetts on the hardwood.
 
• The Minutemen lead the all-time series, which started in the 1967-68 sea­son, 29-17.
 
• The Rams have taken the past five meetings, including an 85-67 win in the Mullins Center last February 6 behind 22 points from Antwon Portley and 18 from Nick Honor.