Temple University Athletics
LEIBOVITZ TO LEAD OWLS INTO ACTION AGAINST MINUTEMEN SATURDAY
2.24.05 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- Temple takes the floor at the Liacouras Center Saturday afternoon (2:00 p.m.) in a critical Atlantic 10 Conference basketball contest against the University of Massachusetts without its Hall of Fame coach. John Chaney will sit out the contest, serving a three-game suspension for his actions in Tuesday's game against Saint Joseph's. In his place will be veteran aide Dan Leibovitz, who, in his ninth season at Chaney's side, is tied for the longest tenure among A-10 assistant coaches.
UMass (15-9, 8-5), fresh off consecutive overtime wins against Rhode Island and La Salle, is one game behind Temple in the race for second place in the East Division and the all-important bye in the conference tournament. Head coach Steve Lappas, in his fourth year at the Minutemen helm after serving nine seasons at Villanova, has one of the league's top frontcourt players in junior Rashaun Freeman. The 6-9 forward leads UMass in scoring (15.4 ppg.) and rebounding (7.7 rpg.). Sophomore Maurice Maxwell (11.9 ppg.) and senior Anthony Anderson (10.4 ppg.) have provided Lappas a steady backcourt all season.
With a win Saturday, the Owls (13-11, 9-4) will clinch the bye as they will take a two-game lead over the Minutemen with two games to play and own the tie-breaker by virtue of their series sweep. It will also mark the 20th time in Temple's 23 years of A-10 competition that the program has won 10 regular season league games.
Junior All-American candidate Mardy Collins (17.3 ppg.) continues to lead the Owls, which own a 36-17 advantage in the series. Collins led four Temple double figures scorers with 18 points in the first meeting between the teams this season, a 61-49 TU win at the Mullins Center.
