La Salle rode some hot shooting and the scoring of Aaric Murray and Earl Pettis to an 84-73 victory over Providence in a Cancun Challenge matchup on Tuesday. The Explorers (4-1) shot a sizzling 69 percent (20-of-29) in the first half to jump out to a 44-28 lead. Murray finished with 20 points and Pettis had 18, including 14 in the first half when La Salle took control. Providence (4-1) got 20 points from Marshon Brooks and 17 from Vincent Council but it was not enough for the Friars to avoid their first loss of the season. Providence was looking to run its record to 5-0 for the first time since the start of the 1990-91 season. La Salle cooled off after the break and started the second half shooting 4-of-14 from the field as Providence cut into the lead. The Friars pulled within 56-48 midway through the second half but were never able to overtake the Explorers. La Salle, which now leads its brief series with Providence 3-2, moves on to face either Missouri or Wyoming on Wednesday in the Riviera Division championship game.