Temple University Athletics
HAWKS SHOOT PAST OWLS, 69-57, IN A-10 SHOWDOWN
2.12.05 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- Temple head coach John Chaney knew that Saint Joseph's would hit some three-pointers in his team's A-10 East Division showdown against the Hawks at The Palestra. He just figured his Owls would make some as well. That would not be the case as the Hawks drained 11 three-pointers, six by the league's top sharpshooter Pat Carroll, and led the entire contest in posting a 69-57 win over the Owls Saturday afternoon.
With the win Saint Joseph's (12-9, 9-1) now owns a two-game lead in the A-10 East Division standings over Temple (11-10. 7-3). The two teams meet again at the Liacouras Center on February 22 (7:00 p.m.). That game will also be a Big 5 contest.
"Our whole game plan was to recognize the shooters and to get pressure on them and we did not do that from the start," said Temple point guard Mardy Collins. "The last couple of days all we did was focus on Stachitas and Carroll and we come out here and we did not do it. It is kind of frustrating."
Carroll, honored before the game for scoring his 1000th point earlier in the week, became Saint Joseph's all-time leader in three-pointers made (233) by game's end. One of the hottest players in the A-10, the 6-5 senior guard led all scorers with 27 points. He and Stachitas hit three treys over the first five minutes to ignite a 13-4 start to the contest.
Collins, who was a one-man Temple show for the first 30 minutes, utilized his quickness on defense to close the deficit to a mere point, 15-14, at the 10:50 mark of the first half. The 6-6 point guard stole the ball at mid-court on consecutive possessions and finishing the plays with slam dunks.
The teams traded baskets over the ensuing four minutes before St. Joe's started to widen the spread. Freshman Abdulai Jalloh nailed a three-pointer and then his steal led to a Dwyane Jones (13 rebounds) dunk, giving the Hawks a 25-18 lead. SJU closed the half with a 29-21 lead.
Saint Joseph's opened the second half by hitting four of its first five shots with Carroll and Stachitas (15 points) each hitting three-pointers in the 13-4 run that made it 42-25 with 15:13 to play. Another three-pointer by Stachitas at the 9:39 mark, provided the Hawks with their biggest lead, 51-33.
Distributing the ball to the Hawks' shooters was junior point guard Dwayne Lee. The St. Anthony's High product, who has the unenviable task of replacing National Player of the Year Jameer Nelson, had his best game in a SJU uniform. He dished a career-high 11 assists while turning the ball over just once against the Owls' pressure defense. Numbers Chaney loves to see in a floor leader.
"I though he played extremely well considering what I have seen in him. I thought he orchestrated a good win for them," said Chaney.
While Saint Joseph's was draining three-pointers, Temple was uncharacteristically off from the perimeter. The Owls failed to hit a three-pointer in the first half for the first time all season and missed their first 13 before freshman DaShone Kirkendoll ended the drought with 5:31 to play. Kirkendoll followed with another three-pointer to trey cut the margin under double figures, 53-45, with 4:42 remaining and putting concern in the 8,412 mostly SJU crowd packed into the historic arena.
Kirkendoll saw extended minutes (13) due to a left ankle sprain suffered by sophomore guard Dustin Salibsery. The 6-5 guard was held to a season-low two points just one game removed from the best outing (27 points vs. Dayton) of his young career.
Two free throws by Carroll and a Lee three-pointer ended the Temple threat. The Owls never again cut the game under double digits.
Collins, who was still hampered slightly with flu-like symptoms, led Temple with 23 points and four steals. Freshman Mark Tyndale added 11 points.
The Owls turned the ball over a season-low four times, but were out-rebounded 32-24. Saint Joseph's hit 22-of-46 from the field, including 11-of-20 (.550) in the second half. The Hawks also connected on 11-of-26 from three-point range, and were a sizzling 60 percent (6-10) after intermission. Temple, on the other hand, made just 4-of-19 from behind the arc (.211) and 23-of-54 overall (.426).
"We come out some games and we play good and then come right back and act like we never played basketball before," said Collins. "We just have to be more consistent."
Temple will have to start that consistency on the road as the team travels to Duquesne (2/16) and Richmond (2/19) this coming week.
