GAME NOTES: Joe Mihalich leads the Hofstra Pride against his alma mater on Tuesday afternoon, as the la Salle Explorers come to David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex for a non-conference tussle.

La Salle began the season at 4-0, but four straight setbacks had the team reeling. Since then, the Explorers have won two of their last three, the most recent of which being a 67-53 decision at Towson on Saturday. Following this clash, La Salle will return home to entertain local rival Penn next Tuesday, and the team will tip off its Atlantic 10 Conference schedule the following Saturday at George Mason.

Mihalich, who graduated from La Salle in 1978 and also served as an assistant coach there from 1981-98, has his squad off to a solid 7-3 start. The Pride recently had a four-game win streak stopped in an 82-77 loss at Columbia this past Saturday. As a result, Hofstra sits at 7-3 on the season, and it will open up the Colonial Athletic Association part of its schedule at UNC- Wilmington on Jan. 3.

La Salle owns a 14-5 lead in the all-time series with Hofstra, and the Pride are just 18-71 over the years against teams from the A-10.

Stingy defense proved to be the difference in La Salle's recent win at Towson, as the Explorers held their hosts to 32.6 percent field goal efficiency, which included the Tigers missing each one of their 14 3-point attempts. Towson also committed 16 turnovers, from which the visitors scored 24 points. Jordan Price had a stellar outing in netting a career-high 31 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor and 12-of-14 at the charity stripe. Jerrell Wright pitched in with 10 points as the only other double-digit scorer for the Explorers, who converted 25-of-30 free throws in the game.

Price has been La Salle's top offensive weapon this season, as he is averaging 17.9 ppg, despite shooting just 38.7 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc. He is aided by a solid 81.3 percent showing at the foul line, the team as a whole making good on 72.1 percent from the stripe. A 40.2 percent overall shooting effort, 28.7 percent from 3-point land, has the squad netting just 62.3 ppg, while its defensive effort limits the opposition to 61 ppg behind similar shooting performances. Wright produces 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while Steve Zack spearheads the effort on the glass with 8.9 rpg.

Hofstra saw four of its starters score in double figures, but it wasn't enough as the team fell at Columbia over the weekend. Juan'ya Green led the way with 19 points, while Ameen Tanksley and Dion Nesmith tallied 18 apiece and Malik Nichols added 10 more for the Pride, who shot just 40.7 percent from the floor but converted 21-of-25 free throws. Columbia drained 13 3-pointers and claimed a 41-35 edge on the boards.

Tanksley and Green have performed at an extremely high level for Hofstra this season, netting 18.3 and 18.1 ppg, respectively. Tanksley also helps out on the glass with 5.9 rpg, while Green pulls down 4.7 rpg while dishing out 6.1 apg. Brian Bernardi (13.8 ppg) and Nesmith (11.3 ppg) are both averaging double figures as well for a club that is putting up a robust 81 ppg, thanks to typical shooting efforts of .470 overall and .427 from beyond the arc.

Price is pretty much a one-man show for the Explorers, who need others to step up on a more consistent basis if the team is going to make any significant headway this season. As it is, expect the more well-rounded Pride to give Mihalich a win over a school near and dear to his heart.