Temple University Athletics
MEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS A-10 PLAY WITH 68-65 WIN OVER GEORGE WASHINGTON AT THE LIACOURAS CENTER
1.5.03 | Men's Basketball
Neither team shot especially well in the 56th meetings between the schools. The Colonials converted 42.6 percent (20-47) of their attempts from the field, while the Owls managed to shoot just 35.4 percent (23-65) on the afternoon.
Things did not go the Owls way early, as George Washington jumped out to a 10-2 lead on a Mike Hall three-pointer with 15:38 remaining in the opening stanza. Temple, however, battled back on the heels of its offensive rebounding, scoring 15 of the game's next 20 points to take a 17-15 advantage on a Polk three-ball with 8:56 to go before the break. Temple grabbed 25 rebounds before the half, including 17 off the offensive glass. The Owls entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 34-29 advantage, their biggest halftime lead this season.
George Washington never regained the lead in the second half. The Colonials did, however, tie the score on three occasions, the last coming on a Chris Monroe three-pointer with 1:24 remaining and the scoreboard reading double sixty-fours. Just over a minute later, with 7.6 seconds on the clock, Hawkins deposited a pair of free throws to give the home squad a 68-65 advantage. George Washington had a chance to tie and send the game into overtime but a Greg Collucci three-pointer rimmed out.
Monroe scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds for George Washington, which has lost three of its last four games. T.J. Thompson added 13 points and Pops Mensah-Bonsu finished with 12 points for the Colonials.
Temple resumes its A-10 schedule with a 7:30 p.m. contest at Duquesne on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The game will not be televised.
