Temple University Athletics
Temple To Host Rutgers Wednesday Night
11.28.06 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - Temple takes the Liacouras Center floor Wednesday night (7;00 p.m./WPHT 1210 AM) looking not only for the first win of the Fran Dunphy Era, but also to break a four-game losing streak against Rutgers. The Owls (0-2) have continued their rivalry with the Scarlet Knights, who left the Atlantic 10 Conference for the Big East in 1995, playing six times over the last 10 seasons. Temple leads the all-time series, 31-18, but Rutgers has won five of the last six meetings.
The Owls, who are in the midst of a four-game, eight-day homestand, dropped their home opener Monday to Buffalo, 64-62. The Cherry and White scored seven unanswered points over the final 2:10, but fell short as senior guard Dustin Salisbery's three-pointer hit the back of the rim as time expired. Salisbery, who leads Temple with a 19.0 scoring average, tallied 15 points with team highs of four assists and four steals. Sophomore guard Dionte Christmas, who set a career-high with 23 points against Buffalo, is averaging 17.5 points per game.
Junior guard DaShone Kirkendoll, who is tied with Salisbery and Christmas for team-high honors in three-pointers made (5), has helped the Owls offense off the bench (9.5 ppg.). Senior forward Dion Dacons leads the team in rebounding with a 5.5 average while sophomore Semaj Inge, who posted career highs of 10 points and three assists in the Buffalo game, runs the team's offense.
Like Temple, Rutgers has a new face on the sideline in first-year head coach Fred Hill. An associate head coach at Rutgers in 2005-06, Hill had previously served four seasons on Jay Wright's staff at Villanova. The new RU head coach has seen his charges experience some growing pains as the Scarlet Knights have opened the season with a 1-4 record, the one win coming against Division II St. Thomas Aquinas, 82-41.
Sophomore forward JR Inman leads a balanced offensive attack for Rutgers with a 13.8 scoring average. He averages a team-best six rebounds per contest. Freshman center Hamady N'Diaye (5.4 ppg.) has come off the bench to be a force inside defensively, blocking 13 shots and grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game.
