Temple University Athletics
OWLS FALL TO NO. 3-RANKED VILLANOVA IN NEW YEAR'S EVE BIG 5 BATTLE AT THE PALESTRA
12.31.05 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- Third-ranked and undefeated Villanova out-rebounded Temple in convincing fashion en route to a 75-53 win before a capacity crowd of 8,722 in a New Year's Eve contest at the Palestra Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats scored 22 points off turnovers and outscored the Owls 30-16 in the paint to improve to 3-0 in Big Five play as the Owls fell to 1-1 in city series action.
Villanova (9-0) cleaned the glass 14 more times (50-36) than Temple (6-4), who played host to the game at the historic, neutral venue. The Owls also failed to help themselves at the charity stripe, making just 55.6 percent (15-27) of their attempts, including six of their first 17. Temple generated only six assists while committing 15 turnovers. The Wildcats committed 18 miscues, resulting in 10 Temple points.
Villanova's Allen Ray led all scorers, posting 20 points to lead three Wildcats in double figures. He was joined by Mike Nardi (17) and Kyle Lowry (15) as VU made 41.3 percent (26-63) of its shots, including a 34.6 mark (9-26) from behind the arc. Lowry also made a contest-best seven steals, while Randy Foye dished-out a career-high nine assists.
Mardy Collins and Mark Tyndale combined to score 33 Temple points, contributing 19 and 14, respectively. Tyndale also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. The Owls shot 29.3 percent (17-59) from the field and just 21.1 percent (4-19) from behind the arc.
Villanova's lead never dipped below double-digits in the second half. The closest the Owls would come after the break was 10 points, 39-29, after a Collins three-pointer with 16:45 remaining. The Wildcats largest lead of the second half and the game was 22 points, reflected twice, including the final score.
Neither team was able to find an early rhythm. A combined 18 days off between them, a fast-paced, back-and-forth, contest ripe with early miscues ensued. Ten turnovers were committees in the first 10 minutes.
Villanova steadily gained control of the glass and the game along with it. Fifteen of the first 20 rebounds were grabbed by blue and white jerseys, including seven offensive boards.
Despite the early rebounding discrepancy, the Owls brought a gritty game and took an 11-10 lead on a Collins three-pointer with 12:32 remaining before the break. Unfortunately for the Cherry & White faithful, the trey would prove the Owls' only points for nearly five minutes. Villanova went on a 12-point run to take a 22-11 lead and quiet the city series crowd comprised primarily of Temple fans. A Robinson three-pointer at 6:52 broke the scoring drought and reduced the deficit to single digits.
The Wildcats increased their advantage to double figures for the remainder of the opening stanza when a Ray three-pointer tweaked the twine with 2:34 on the clock to give VU a 33-21 lead. Villanova took their largest lead of the first half, 14 points, twice in the final minutes before taking a 37-25 advantage into the locker room at the midpoint.
Villanova shot 50 percent (15-30) from the field in the first half, including a 33.3 percent (4-12) mark from behind the arc. Temple made 36 percent (9-25) of its field goals, including 25 percent (2-8) of its three pointers. The key stat, however, was rebounding, where the Wildcats established a 24-12 advantage. Villanova had 10 turnovers, while the Owls committed eight miscues.
The loss evened the all-time series between the Owls and Wildcats at 40 wins apiece. It also evened the series, 17-17, in games between the schools at the Palestra. John Chaney is now 11-11 all-time against his Main Line rival.
Temple returns to the hardwood this Wednesday when it hosts #12 George Washington at the Liacouras Center in the Owls' Atlantic 10 Conference season opener. Opening tip, which was originally scheduled for 8:00 p.m., is 6:00 p.m. The game will not be televised.
