A clutch double-overtime win for the Cowboys, and an especially clutch performance by none other than Marshall Moses (who knew he had this in him?). Using an array of unusual lineups (detailed below) the Cowboys pulled out of a ten point 2nd half deficit to tie the game at 67 at the end of regulation. The Pokes jumped out to an early lead in the first OT period but were eventually caught and forced to a second overtime when Aaric Murray hit a jumper with 8 seconds left to tie it at 79. In the 2nd overtime period the Cowboys again played in front but this time did not allow the Explorers back in as Moses tip-in with 14 seconds left made it a two possession game and the Pokes were able to hold on from there.
When asked about Moses, who hit the overtime forcing shot with 7 seconds left and finished with an ungodly stat line in spite of being doubled the entire game, La Salle coach John Gianinni said:
The main lineup change of note was the completely new starting lineup of Moses, Matt Pilgrim (instead of Darrell Williams), Nick Sidorakis, Reger Dowell (instead of Fred Gulley (injured)), and Keiton Page. And it is especially odd that Dowell only saw the court for 6 minutes of action while Ray Penn provided 39 minutes of PG play off the bench. Maybe Penn prefers the bench player role as some guys do for some reason, but giving Dowell the start definitely raises a few eyebrows as Dowell's only other action of the season came in garbage time against Nicholls State.
Here is a look at all the 5-man lineups and their Plus/Minus (check out this post for explanation of Plus/Minus).
| Lineup | +/- | minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Pilgrim, Moses, Sidorakis, Penn, Page | 12 | 07:51 |
| D Willilams, Moses, Sidorakis, Penn, Page | 4 | 04:20 |
| Pilgrim, Moses, MB, Penn, Page | 4 | 01:57 |
| Pilgrim, Moses, Sidorakis, Olukemi, Page | 3 | 06:54 |
| Moses, Olukemi, Sidorakis, Penn, Page | 0 | 05:58 |
| Pilgrim, Moses, Sidorakis, Page, Dowell | 0 | 03:46 |
| D Willilams, Shaw, MB, Page, Penn | 0 | 02:25 |
| D Willilams, Moses, Page, Penn, Dowell | -1 | 02:01 |
| D Willilams, Pilgrim, MB, Penn, Page | -1 | 01:47 |
| D Willilams, Moses, Olukemi, Sidorakis, Penn | -1 | 00:25 |
| Pilgrim, Moses, Sidorakis, Olukemi, Penn | -2 | 04:33 |
| Moses, D Willilams, MB, Page, Penn | -2 | 02:53 |
| Pilgrim, D Willilams, Sidorakis, Page, Penn | -2 | 01:52 |
| Shaw, Moses, Sidorakis, Penn, Page | -3 | 01:29 |
| Shaw, Moses, MB, Page, Penn | -3 | 01:13 |
| D Willilams, Moses, Sidorakis, Olukemi, Page | -3 | 00:365 |
There isn't much doubt as to which lineup was working, especially late, as the 5-man unit of Pilgrim, Moses, Sidorakis, Page, and Penn (which finished +12 for the game) were +6 in just 1:55 of action in the first overtime before Pilgrim fouled out. And the worst 5-man unit stretch ran the last 2:44 of the 1st half when the lineup of Moses, Penn, Sidorakis, Pilgrim, and Olukemi registered a -8.
Once again, the 5-man units are the only ones I will run all the options for... but a few other interesting Plus/Minus for smaller groups are here:
| Unit | +/- | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Moses, Pilgrim | 16 | 24:51 |
| Page, Penn | 5 | 33:34 |
| Shaw | -8 | 08:12 |
| Pilgrim | 13 | 28:28 |
And yes, I do plan to keep posting the +/- for the Penn, Page unit (aka: The 5'9 Defensive Liability) until the numbers actually reflect my long held belief that you cannot have them on the court together for more than 10 minutes a game. No I do not care that they seem to finish with a positive Plus/Minus every game.
The Cowboys are back in action on Wednesday at the BOK in Tulsa as they take on the Golden Hurricane.