Temple University Athletics
OWLS STRETCH SEASON-HIGH WINNING STREAK TO FOUR GAMES DEFEATING GEORGE WASHINGTON, 80-58
2.9.02 | Men's Basketball
The Owls raced out to an early 6-1 lead on back-to-back three-pointers by Hawkins and increased their lead to 18-7 with 12:10 remaining in the first half following two three-point baskets by freshman Nile Murry. The Owls defense, who for the second consecutive game held their opponent under 16 points in the first half, held the Colonials scoreless for 7:24 stretching their lead to 30-13 with just 1:09 left before halftime.
During the stretch, the Owls' Lynn Greer hit a three-point basket that moved him on top as the Temple all-time leader in three-point field goals made. He passed Mike Vreeswyk who held the record with 271 three-point field goals. The Owls closed out the half with Greer nailing his second three-pointer of the half, giving the Owls a 33-15 advantage.
For the second consecutive game, the Owls also held their opponent without a first-half three-point field goal as the Colonials went 0-13 from beyond the arc. Last Wednesday night, the Owls held Rhode Island without a three-point field goal, going 0-12 from beyond the arc.
In the second half the Owls extended their lead to 50-24 with 13:22 left as Hawkins (7) and Greer (8) combined for 15 consecutive points. However, the Colonials led by their leading scorer Chris Monroe and T.J. Thompson failed to go away. With Thompson (8) and Monroe (5) combining for 13 of the Colonials next 22 points, George Washington got to within 64-52 with 5:09 left.
From there, the Owls got five points from Hawkins and a putback layup by Greer for a 7-1 run over the next 1:13 to close out the Colonials, extending the lead to 71-53 with 3:20 remaining.
The big difference in the game was from beyond the arc where the Owls hit 13-of-37 while the Colonials made just 5-of-27. The 37 three's taken by the Owls was one away from the team record when the Owls took 38 three-pointers against Rutgers back on February 1, 1991.
Up next, the Owls take on LaSalle in an Atlantic 10 Conference and Big 5 matchup this Wednesday (2/13) at 7:30 p.m. at the Tom Gola Arena.
