Kittles and Villanova embarrass Explorers at Spectrum

The 90-50 loss was the worst in LaSalle team historyThe 90-50 loss was the worst in LaSalle team historywhile its 16-point first half tied the school futility record The only real battle between Villanova and LaSalle was between their respective mascots, who engaged in a fist fight in the final minutes of the contest. The members of La Salle men's basketball team, however, were not nearly as competitive as they were routed, 90-50, by the Wildcats -- who came into the game ranked No. 4 nationally -- at the Spectrum yesterday. The 40-point blowout was the largest margin of defeat in La Salle history. "I just told [the players] that it was very embarrassing for everyone connected with La Salle basketball," said La Salle coach Speedy Morris, whose team has lost 18 of 23 games this year. Morris added that coming into the game, the team "actually thought [they] could win the game, believe it or not." Well, there were not too many believers for too long. After the first two minutes and 13 seconds went by with no points on the board for either team, the Wildcats made up for lost time and jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Explorers forward Brian Flickinger flicked a three-pointer from the left corner to cut the deficit to 5-3, and that was closest LaSalle would get for the day. Three three-pointers within a five-minutes span by Villanova forward Eric Eberz helped expand the Wildcats lead to 20-9 with 10:19 remaining in the first half. From there, it was the Kerry Kittles show -- and La Salle was too much in awe to do anything but get out of the way. Kittles, who is widely considered one of the best players in the nation, knocked down five of the six three-pointers he attempted -- most of the trifectas from NBA three-point range -- and ended with 25 points. Between the three-pointers , Kittles sprinkled in a few signature high-flying dunks that were well-received by the nearly 10,000 fans gathered. And Kittles was mostly playing against himself. Not only was the zone defense that La Salle offered feeble, but the Explorers' offense was mostly non-existent for much of the game. In fact, the 16 points that LaSalle totaled in the first half tied for La Salle's lowest first-half total in school history. "Villanova outplayed us in every phase of the game," Morris said. "We were intimidated and that's not the way we've played most of the year. I have to apologize to any La Salle fan who came to this game." After the apologies, it would be good for the Explorers to work on their shooting as they were dismal for the game from the field (25.4 percent), from the charity stripe (50 percent), and from behind the three-point arc (27.2 percent). La Salle forward Romaine Haywood chucked up 24 shots, but only five of them found their way to the bottom of the net. But he would get a good argument in the a who-had-a-the-worst-shooting-day contest from Explorers guard Shawn Smith, who misfired on all seven shots attempted. Villanova's tenacious defense surely contributed to LaSalle's offensive woes. The Wildcats, who improved their record to a nifty 21-3 registered nine blocks to the Explorers one. But more importantly, Villanova outscored La Salle 17-2 off turnovers. And life does not get any easier for the Explorers as they face undefeated UMass on Thursday. The Minuteman are ranked No. 1 in the nation. "I don't think they're staying up worrying about us," Morris said. "In fact, they might pay for the bus."

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