Temple University Athletics
HAWKINS HITS CAREER-HIGH 41 POINTS AND REACHES 2000-POINT PLATEAU IN THRILLING 98-92 DOUBLE OVERTIME WIN OVER UMASS
3.3.04 | Men's Basketball
Hawkins' 41-points ranks sixth on Temple's single-game scoring list. It is also the highest output since Greer scored 43 versus Fordham in January 2002. The senior team captain wasn't the only Owl to have a career night, however. Sophomore guard Mardy Collins contributed a career-best 30 points and sophomore center Keith Butler grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds. Hawkins and Collins each spent the entire 50 minutes on the hardwood.
Massachusetts (10-17, 4-11) came back from two 16-point second half deficits to force overtime in a game that looked all but decided midway through the second stanza. Temple (15-11, 9-6) led 53-37 with 11:55 remaining in regulation before the Minutemen reduced the lead to five, 56-51, with 8:25 left on a Maurice Maxwell three-pointer. Temple increased its lead to double digits twice in the next two minutes before UMass scored 15 of the final 19 points in regulation. An Art Bowers trey with 19 seconds remaining tied the game at 69 and sent the contest into extra time after the Owls had led for the prior 30 minutes on the game clock.
Temple made all seven of its initial free throws in the first overtime, including five consecutive by Hawkins. The Owls held a 77-73 lead with 2:39 on the clock lead before back-to-back UMass three pointers put the Minutemen in front, 79-77, with under a minute to play. Collins then stepped to the line and converted both attempts to tie the score at 79-79 with 23 seconds remaining. Massachusetts was intent to hold the ball for a final shot at victory but Collins stole it from Maxwell and was fouled on a driving lay-up. He stepped to the charity stripe for two shots with six seconds on the clock but missed both attempts. The Owls gained a subsequent inbounds pass with three ticks left but a last ditch alley-oop effort fell short and the teams headed to another overtime.
The second extra period belonged to Hawkins and the Temple Owls. The Washington, D.C. native hit consecutive three-pointers to develop an 89-82 advantage with 1:36 on the clock and the home squad never looked back. Temple extended its lead to double-digits, 94-84, on a pair of Hawkins' free throws. In total, he made seven free throws in the final 1:03 to lead the Owls to victory and to vault himself into the record books. Hawkins, who registered his 21st game of the season scoring 20 points or more, entered the contest ranked fifth in nation in scoring with a 23.7 points-per-game average.
Both teams started off shooting well in the game's opening minutes. The Owls made four of their first eight attempts and UMass made three of its initial six shots as the score was tied at eight after Collins deposited a driving lay-up. The Minutemen proceeded to miss their next five attempts, however, while the Owls' shooting cooled as well. Hawkins registered his first points with a trey to knot the score at 13-13 with 13:00 remaining before the break.
UMass broke the tie on a Jeff Viggiani three-pointer before the hosts went on an eight-point run, capped by a Hawkins lay-up with 6:55 on the clock as Temple developed a 21-16 lead. The Minutemen halted the spurt when Bowers connected from behind the arc. Temple proceeded to score on three consecutive trips down the floor to take a 26-19 advantage with 4:30 remaining before the break. The Cherry & White's largest lead of the initial stanza, nine points, occurred on two occasions with less than two minutes remaining.
Temple shot 42.1 percent (32-76) from the field on the evening while Massachusetts deposited 44.4 percent (32-72) of its shots. The Owls, who lead the nation in fewest turnovers, committed a season low-tying four miscues in 50 minutes of action while contributing to 19 Minutemen turnovers. The visitors posted a 50-39 rebounding advantage as Rashaun Freeman cleaned the glass on 12 occasions, including 10 rebounds prior to halftime.
The victory was Temple's ninth in its last 11 outings, with the only two losses coming to No. 2 Saint Joseph's. It was also the Owls' first double-overtime game since their memorable 87-84 defeat of the Hawks at the Palestra in 2002.
Temple returns to the hardwood this Saturday, March 6, in its regular season finale for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off versus Xavier at the Liacouras Center. The game will mark the final home regular season contest for Hawkins. Longtime Temple athletics administrator Al Shrier will also be honored on Saturday, as the first 1,500 spectators ages 50 and older will receive a bobble-head doll in his likeness. In addition, fans named "Al" will be admitted to the arena for just 50 cents and all fans 50 and older can purchase tickets for only $6.00.
The match-up against the Musketeers will be televised on ESPN. The contest will mark the 14th meeting between the schools with the Owls holding a 7-6 advantage in victories. Temple defeated Xavier 63-57 in last season's A-10 Conference Tournament semifinal, played in Dayton, Ohio.
