Temple University Athletics
SALISBERY LEADS OWLS TO 50-46 BIG 5 CLASSIC WIN OVER QUAKERS
12.3.05 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- Junior Dustin Salisbery scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half to help lead the Temple Owls to a 50-46 win over the Penn Quakers in the second game of the Big 5 Classic held at the Palestra Saturday afternoon. The Owls (3-2) overcame a seven-point halftime deficit against the Quakers (3-2) in the hard-fought city-series contest. It also marked the 59th straight game that Temple has won a game while holding its opponent under 50 points. That streak dates back to December 30, 1995.
Salisbery, who failed to make a basket in six attempts in Wednesday's loss at Rutgers, drained seven of his 10 tries against the Quakers and three of his four from three-point range. The Owls needed his offense on this afternoon which saw the team struggle from the perimeter over the first 20 minutes.
"Always here it is a horror show and it is a bitter end, one way or the other," said Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney on playing at the Palestra. "You can expect the unexpected all the time here."
Temple, who converted just 28 percent of its field goal attempts at Rutgers, started off cold in the hallowed Philadelphia arena. The Owls turned the ball over on their first possession and went on to miss their next four shots as the Quakers jumped out to an 8-0 lead.
Senior Antywane Robinson, who was the team's only offense Wednesday, drained a three-pointer, at the 15:22 mark to put TU on the board. Temple still had no answer for the Quakers patient zone offense as head coach Fran Dunphy's team worked the ball around John Chaney's fabled zone, continually finding either open three-point shooters or cutters in the lane.
The Owls, on the other hand, could not muster any consistency on offense, and were unable to get closer than five points in the first half. Sophomore guard David Whitehurst (10) and junior guard Ibrahim Jaaber combined for 19 of the Quakers' 27 first half points, hitting eight-of-11from the field and three-of-six from behind the arc. The Quakers shot 55 percent (11-20) over the first 20 minutes in taking a 27-20 lead into the locker room.
Salisbery scored five of the Owls points in a 10-0 run after the break to give the Cherry and White their first lead, 30-27, with 15:51 to play. Lay-ups by Mark Zoller and Steve Danley lifted Penn back in front, 31-30, but Robinson (10 points) scored five points in a 7-0 Temple run to make it 37-31. The Owls would not trail again in the contest.
Penn, however, was not going to go quietly as this was a Big 5 battle. A 9-2 Quaker run capped by a Jaaber breakaway lay-up tied the game at 39 with six minutes left.
Salisbery had the answer, though, draining a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it 42-39. Dion Dacons, who played a solid 25 minutes in the post, scored a free throw after a big offensive rebound on the team's next possession.
Eric Osmundson hit his only shot of the night, a three-pointer, to cut the Owl lead to one, 43-42, with 3:30 on the clock. Salisbery made a big basket, hitting a fall-away 12-footer to extend the lead to 45-42, at the 2:24 mark. Zoller then made a lay-up while cutting down the lane to make it 45-44.
Collins, who had 13 points and five steals, converted two free throws with 51 seconds left to again bring the lead to three points (47-44), but a Jaaber lay-up cut it back to one, 47-46.
The Quakers had their best chance as Mark Tyndale (5 points) made just one of two free throws and Dacons fouled Zoller on the rebound. Zoller then stepped up to the line with a chance to tie the game and missed the front end of a one-and-one. Salisbery rebounded and converted his two free throws with 16 seconds to play to close out the scoring.
The Owls now travel to another Ivy League power, Princeton, for a Tuesday night game (7:00 p.m.).
