Temple University Athletics
DEFENSE KEYS TEMPLE'S 57-48 WIN OVER DREXEL IN BIG FIVE CLASSIC
12.6.03 | Men's Basketball
"We still have a lot of work to do but it is good to finally get a win," stated senior guard David Hawkins, who topped all scorers with 26 points.
The Dragons (1-3) shredded Temple's zone early, getting easy looks at the basket and converting on three open three-pointers to take an 18-12 lead with 11:29 to play in the half. Then Temple's defense intensified, and the Owls forced the Dragons into taking shots bad shots
"We started to trap them in the corner and I think that helped," stated Chaney on the team's defense. "We started early...and they must have committed five or six turnovers then and just took them out of their set that they felt comfortable in. Then they started shooting air balls and taking bad shots."
The Owls finally regained the lead as Hawkins drained two of his career-high 14 free throws (15 attempts) to knot the game at 22, and then buried a three-pointer for a 25-22 lead with 4:16 on the clock. The half ended with a 26-24 TU lead.
The Owls defense was solid in the second half, holding Drexel to just 8-of-29 from the field (27.6%). A far cry from the first three games where opponents connected on an amazing 52 percent from the field. However, the Owls could not pull away as the team struggled on the offensive end, hitting just 7-of-21 for the half and turning the ball over a season high 17 times in the game.
Drexel finally reclaimed the lead, 43-42, with 3:38 to play on a free throw by Tim Whitworth, who led the Dragons with 11 points and 10 rebounds. And it looked like the Dragons might finally slay a Big Five opponent in the Classic.
But following a media timeout, Temple took the floor with a sense of urgency. A Keith Butler (6 points, 10 rebounds) free throw tied the contest at 43. Then a 10-0 run fueled by Hawkins (six points) and Mardy Collins (two points, two assists), gave Temple a 53-43 lead with 1:03 remaining. The Dragons would get no closer than eight the remainder of the contest.
Collins, who struggled once again with his shot (5-15), had a solid all-around game, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Freshman point guard Mario Taybron had his most productive game as an Owl, contributing six points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Taybron did turn the ball over five times, but at least one of those miscues was the result of a questionable officiating call.
The Owls, 1-3, will now travel across country to play Arizona State on Tuesday night (10:30 p.m. EST). The game will be televised nationally on Foxsports and will be carried locally on Comcast SportsNet.
