JP Kuhlman. (Tim Cowie photo) PHOTO GALLERY below.

LaSalle opened up a big lead at halftime and cruised to an 84-70 victory over the Davidson men’s basketball team Friday night at the Charleston Classic. In Raleigh, the Davidson women’s basketball team lost to N.C. State, 79-54.

In Charleston, S.C., the Wildcat men fell behind 46-30 at the half and never recovered. Bryant Barr had 19 points, while Jake Cohen had 14. The Cats are now 0-3 on the season. They’re back on the court in Charleston on Sunday at 10 a.m. against Penn State.

Rodney Green scored 21 for LaSalle. La Salle faces Tulane Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in the tournament. (Full story below.)

SCOREBOARD

Men’s basketball: LaSalle 84, Davidson 70

Women’s basketball: N.C. State 79, Davidson 54

Big First Half Helps La Salle Top Davidson 84-70

SOURCE: Davidson College Sports Information

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Rodney Green led five La Salle scorers in double figures with 21 points and added 10 rebounds and four steals as the Explorers defeated Davidson 84-70 in the Charleston Classic Friday night.

Davidson finishes the tournament by taking on Penn State Sunday at 10 a.m. in Carolina First Arena.

Bryant Barr netted 19 points, with 16 coming in the second half, to lead Davidson (0-3), while Jake Cohen chipped in 14 off the bench. Will Archambault finished with 10 points, and Ben Allison scored eight.

Yves Mekongo registered 17 points and six rebounds for the Explorers (2-1), and Aaric Murray posted 14 points and five rebounds. Kimmani Barrett scored 13 points, and Ruben Guillandeaux netted 11 off the bench.

La Salle shot 59.4 percent from the floor (19-for-32), including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, to build a 46-30 halftime cushion.

The score was tied 17-17 with 8:10 to go in the opening frame when the Explorers opened up a 10 point lead with a 14-4 run. Murray capped the stretch with a dunk, and Guillandeaux hit two 3s.

Davidson trimmed the margin to seven on a Cohen jumper with 3:55 to go, but La Salle outscored the ‘Cats 9-2 the rest of the way. Guillandeaux started the run with a jumper, followed by a 3-pointer, and Barrett banked in a long 3-pointer just before the buzzer for the 16-point advantage.

The margin grew to as many as 19 early in the second half before the ‘Cats made a run to get back in it. Barr scored eight points during a 10-2 stretch that made the score 60-49, but that is as close as it would get.

Davidson had five chances to get the lead under double digits midway through the frame but couldn’t get a defensive stop when it needed it. A pair of JP Kuhlman free throws made the score 68-56 with 8:37 left, but Green scored four points in a mini 6-0 La Salle spurt that put the margin back to 18 points with 6:01 to play.

The ‘Cats closed to within 12 on a pair of Cohen free throws with 3:07 to go, but the Explorers went 9-for-10 from the charity stripe the rest of the way to keep the margin in double digits.

La Salle shot 55 percent for the game, including 6-for-12 from long distance, while Davidson hit for 41 percent from the floor.

Game Notes: It was the first meeting between Davidson and La Salle on the hardwood… It was the most points for Barr since the senior had a career high 23 against The Citadel as a sophomore… The ‘Cats meet another opponent for the first time Sunday as Davidson and Penn State have never played.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos by Tim Cowie. Click any image to launch a slide show.