Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE BEGINS SEASON WITH A 73-48 BIG FIVE LOSS TO VILLANOVA
11.21.03 | Men's Basketball
Temple -- who started first-year sophomore Michael Blackshear and freshman Dustin Salisbery -- showed its youth in the season-opener. The Owls were sluggish from the offensive end, successfully converting on merely 19-of-70 shots (.271).
David Hawkins, the lone senior on Temple's roster, led the Owls with 16 points. Salisbery added 13 points in his collegiate debut, as Mardy Collins added 11 points and five assists. The trio shot a combined 10-of-34 from behind the three-point arc. Starting center Keith Butler was sidelined due to an ankle injury.
Randy Foye and Allan Ray each scored 20 points to lead Villanova in victory. Curtis Sumpter added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats, who were shorthanded due to NCAA-mandated suspensions.
Freshman Mike Nardi started off the scoring with a three-pointer for the Wildcats, setting the pace for a contest that saw a combined 58 three-point attempts.
The game's circus-like atmosphere showed less than five minutes into the season with a stoppage in play due to fans throwing objects in the direction of the home bench. During the delay, Villanova head coach Jay Wright stepped to the public address system to speak to his school's student section.
After the adjournment, Hawkins nailed his first three-pointer of the contest to knot the score at 3-3. The Owls would trail the remainder of the contest. Ray hit his first three-point field goal before Salisbery converted on his first collegiate basket with a pull-up jumper, cutting the Villanova lead to 6-5.
A Foye three-pointer extended the Wildcat lead to 11-5 before Hawkins responded with his second trifecta of the game.
When Foye increased the lead to 18-8 on a running jump shot, the Owls called a timeout to regroup. A Salisbery tip-in and Collins jump shot brought Temple to within 18-12 after the break. Collins drained a three-pointer to extend the Cherry & White spurt to 7-0.
Nardi finally hit a three-pointer with 7:04 remaining to put the Wildcats ahead 21-15.
Antywane Robinson was whistled for his second foul of the game with 3:54 to play in the first stanza, sending Sumpter to the line for two shots. Sumpter converted on both attempts to again give Nova a double-figure cushion at 27-17.
Coming out of a timeout, Hawkins drove for a thunderous tomahawk dunk to bring the Owls to a 27-19 deficit, but Villanova responded with a trio of free throws to extend the lead to double-digits again.
Foye and Ray drained a pair of three-pointers after intermission to extend Villanova's lead to 38-25. The Wildcat lead did not dip below 10 points for the remainder of the morning. Another Ray basket extended Nova's run to 8-0 and forced the Owls to call their first timeout of the second half. The Cherry & White offense stalled after the stoppage as the shot clock expired. Nardi's jumper from the foul line at the other end gave Villanova a convincing 42-25 advantage.
After Hawkins picked up a loose ball, Blackshear converted on a lay-up to end the Wildcat run. Temple missed a three-point attempt after a Hawkins strip, but Blackshear was underneath for the follow-up. Following another Villanova basket, Salisbery fed Blackshear underneath for his third consecutive lay-up as Villanova's lead stood at 44-31.
Sumpter then drained consecutive field goals to extend Villanova's advantage to 48-31. Hawkins answered with a three-pointer from the corner, but Foye quickly responded with a three-point basket of his own. Behind an Owl miscue, Foye drained his fourth three-point field goal of the game to widen the Villanova advantage to 20 points at 54-34.
Midway through the half, Hawkins stepped behind the three-point line and banked in a shot to bring Temple to within 54-37, but Ray came through again with a pair of baskets at the other end to stop the hope of a Cherry & White run.
Minutes later, back-to-back three-pointers by Collins and Salisbery cut the Temple deficit to 59-45, forcing the Wildcats to call a time-out. Foye fed Nardi for a lay-up after the break, though, to push Villanova's lead to 61-45, ending Temple's hopes for a comeback.
Temple returns to the court on Saturday, November 29 when they face nationally-ranked Illinois at The Palestra on the University of Pennsylvania's campus. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
